Run Sal

WAY Overdue....:):)

2011-03-06T22:56:00.006-07:00

Wow, I have waited way too long to update lately! I have been incredibly busy since coming back from Costa Rica and this week I'll finally have some days to breathe before some huge spring races start taking over my life again :)

I returned from Costa Rica to my new amazing TYR Hurricane wetsuit!! yeee haaa baby! I am so excited to have the BEST wetsuit on the market and can't wait to test it out ASAP :) I have always loved TYR products and have used their goggles, suits, etc. ever since I started swimming, oh gosh 22 years ago!? :) Until now I haven't really needed a wetsuit in most triathlons I have raced, so I look forward to regularly using the best one out there.

I also have a new sponsor that I'm VERY excited about :)...Jack Black..here is their website (also a link on my blog list of sponsors)..YES they are a "men's grooming company", but I have been given some of their stuff to test before, and much of it can be used for women of course. They have certain things they specialize in for men specifically. When they approached me after Costa Rica to be their first woman among all their men, I said of course! ;) I LOVE everything I have tried from their line so I look forward to giving some samples to friends and of course enjoying their amazing lip balms, sunscreen, body wash, recovery balm, etc.

More GU goodies have been unveiled!! They now make BU Brew Electrolyte Tablets! You can just drop one in your bottles and they gradual fizzle to give you some taste but no sugar, just the electrolytes you need :) I am totally bias to the Peach Tea flavor but they also make them in orange and lemon lime. Here is some info on them for you.

I always love going into Triple Sports because Kara and Brian have such a wonderful selection of EVERYTHING! Totally dangerous when a girl is in the mood to shop, lol ;) When I was in the other day I got some adorable stuff by a new running apparel company called Oiselle, made specifically for women. I LOVE the shorts and the shirt! I wore the shirt like 3 days in a row because it's so soft, lol and the shorts are super flattering :) The shirt is called Big Run Tee (in midnight) and their shorts I have are called Distance Short, in pale blue. Check out their adorable stuff here :)

Alright how about a training update? :)-- Things are going very well and I couldn't be happier. I can tell my fitness improves weekly, which feels nice, ha! My run fitness is not where I want it to be right now but A is giving me great workouts that test me and improve my strength. He helped me get a power meter for my bike so now I know what kind of work I'm putting in and it's cool to see the charts and kinda understand pacing myself better, etc. I am sure I'll continue to learn a ton over the next few months, which of course is exciting. He was in town for a few days earlier last week and helped me with my swim form and now I don't swim like a princess trying not to splash the water, LOL. :) He also helped me work on my cadence and a constant work in progress: getting me to not heel strike, especially when I am just running relaxed.

One day we went out for a 3 hour ride workout and I did the same intervals he had to do, but obviously not as ridiculously fast as he rides. However a little bit into our last part of the workout, a one hour steady state, he told me to get in his draft and try to stay there. Oh.My.Gosh. I seriously could do nothing but stare at the white line and hang on for dear life! My legs hurt (among other things) and I just wanted to be off the bike! I wanted to hit him when he kept waving his hand to get back on him, if I drifted back a bit, but I sucked it up and somehow survived, HAHAHA ;) It makes all the difference in the world to have a coach that really inspires me, and isn't just a dictator, lol. It's a lot more fun and motivating knowing he works so much harder than I do!

The next day I had a 3 hour ride on my own, because he left to go home, and I rode pretty damn fast, even when my legs were pretty tired. Made me realize you can never assume how you'll ride based off the first few miles, especially if you get in a good groove and push pretty hard!

My "elite/pro" license for triathlon has been approved and now all I need to do is register in the pro group of athletes so I can race in the World Triathlon Corporation events and I'll be set to go. About a year ago I had a vision and gut feeling that I could run professionally AND do triathlon professionally, successfully. People told me and continue to tell me they don't think it's really possible, but I am determined to make them eat their words. :] With the way A is going to periodize the year a certain way for me, I know it's possible to have a successful chunk of time running while also tri training and doing less serious tris and then have a more serious tri season. I'm incredibly excited for everything and to have a coach who I believe in and trust and who believes in me makes all the difference.

My part time job I had didn't last very long and it's definitely better for me to not be rushing around, cutting stretching time short, being on the go 12+ hours a day, not sleeping as much, etc. just to work a few hours each week. If I want to work I can still do my sub teaching, but for now, training around 20+ hours per week and all the traveling I do keeps me plenty busy! I want to start coaching in some capacity very soon, and I'm working on getting that going, so that will keep me busy and fulfill my passion for helping people set and achieve their goals!

I cannot express how HAPPY I am with where I am in my life right now though, and how grateful I feel for being able to do what I do. I just wouldn't trade it for anything and any time I am feeling not very motivated, I think about how miserable I feel when I am not training or doing something else I don't LOVE. I totally and completely love this life I'm living and the most fabulous thing is that I know it's only going to get 20 times better by the end of the year. Woo hoo baby!

*I'm going to write a few quotes because I love all of these and I haven't posted in a while so here are plenty. lol

Pic: New sponsor!

Quote: "In a race, you represent yourself and all the hard work you and your coach have put in all year. This combination of respect for each other's efforts and determination to be your best makes a true winner"- Mike Keogh

"Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born"

"You are the only person on earth who can use your ability"- Zig Ziglar

"When we walk to the edge of all the light we have and take the step into the darkness of the unknown, we must believe that one of two things will happen. There will be something solid for us to stand on or we will be taught to fly"- Frank Outlaw

Racing and Fabulous FUN! :)

2011-02-22T22:52:00.007-07:00

WOW, everything with the Training Bible Coaching Costa Rica training camp and the Rev3 races was so incredibly fun! I have not laughed, joked, cooked, trained and hung out with so many fun and hilarious people in my life. We all raced well in the Olympic and Half Iron distance races! We had many finish on the podium in their age groups and Adam and I won the Olympic and Half races on each day. Talk about an AWESOME experience; how often can an athlete and their coach win the overall male and female divisions in a big triathlon?! :) So great.

The olympic race results I think are incorrect but I am not sure if they are adjusting them. They also include transition times with our bike times as well. Anyway, the olympic race was a good rust burner for me and I think it helped me race better on Sunday in the half iron race. I felt stronger and biked much better for one thing. Secondly, my chaotic swim on Sat helped me realize what I needed to change for Sunday! Also, the swim courses were way long! Sat was 1.2 miles and on Sun it was like 1.8!? Craziness, haha. I also got to test my pre-race nutrition and make sure it worked so I could do the same on Sunday but add a big more. In the morning I ate my typical toast, some coffee, water and 2 packs of GU caffeinated Chomps. During the race I drank my GU Raspberry brew and water plus one Vanilla Bean gel on the bike. Sunday I did everything the same except I had some more toast in the morning and ate 3 gels on the bike and 2 during the run! Worked like a charm- NO stomach problems :)-

The hilly bike and run courses tested me like I have not been tested in a long time! Steep hills right away on the bike really hit my quads and heart rate after the swim. The sand running, roots, dirt and big hills in the run course definitely challenged me mentally and physically! My run time was decent on sat and on sunday I thought I was going to pass out in the heat and felt like I was running over 7 minute miles (Garmin died so didn't have a watch on!)..but I ran a 1:22 and lapped the other women on the 4 lap run course, so I don't know how I managed such a decent time! Overall I am really happy to have a couple races under my belt now. Racing pro the rest of the year will be such an amazing experience and I know I will continue to learn so much. Adam has already helped me in more ways than I can explain so the future looks very bright! :)

Next up is the fun Ragnar Relay del Sol with my friends this weekend. I am looking forward to doing something different and fun- running through the state of Arizona :) I have three pretty hard legs during the race and one of them Adam has me doing kinda like a workout but the other two will be more fun, so it should be a good adventure :)

Pics: From the race and camp :)

Quote: "Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” - Steve Jobs

Costa Rica!!! :)

2011-02-17T17:18:00.004-07:00

Well, what can I say..Costa Rica has been fabulous! The first three days were the hardest, leaving me more sore than after most marathons! My lateral quad muscles and glutes were the worst! First of all, we are at the top of a huge cliff with hills ranging from 16-26 % grade!?!?! Walking or running up and down them is a workout in itself, and they are LONG. I literally had a panic attack the first day we had to ride our bikes DOWN the mountain and stopped at the top of one of the big hills because the steepness scared the crap out of me. The next day Adam rode next to me, talked me through it and helped me with where to look ahead, holding the brakes, etc. It was by far one of the scariest, if not THE scariest thing I've ever done in my life! At the bottom at least I was able to smile when Adam said "It wasn't that bad, right?" HAHA...if only he knew I thought I was gonna die the whole time ;)

Anyway, my swimming has improved drastically and today I had a great workout in the ocean with the fastest male swimmer at camp (if you don't count Adam, lol)..I didn't really know how to draft before camp but now I do, and staying on someone's feet definitely helps save some energy! It also keeps me swimming faster and trying to "hold on". I have been testing out a Skinfit speedsuit that I can wear during the entire race and I really love it. It's seamless which is perfect for my sensitive skin! :)

I also had my running form analyzed and now I have some things to work on with that as well. It's always good to find the little imperfections and tweak things because it will make me more efficient and therefore much faster! Adam thinks I should work on running more in flats and shoes with less of a heel, so I will start running in my flats more. I have heard of many runners doing this yet I know for me, I have to do it gradually. I'll also start running barefoot on grass more often.

My biking is going well too, but that is the area I really need to keep spending more time on, get more powerful and overall just stronger, not only on hills but also pushing my pain level and not riding comfortably hard all the time, but really get after it! Adam helped me tweak my seat a bit too so hopefully I'll feel more comfortable on my saddle now.

Well, I am getting VERY excited to race this weekend!! Tomorrow will be a light day and we are traveling to the Rev3 race venue to set up our bikes, go to the athlete meeting, etc. It's going to be a hot and humid race but I can't wait to see how fast I can go since it's been so long since I raced swimbikerun :) Adam and I have talked a lot and we decided it's a great idea for me to race pro in triathlon this year and really go after some big races in July and August and see how well I can do. I am so extremely excited for this year of racing!

Time to cook some dinner and sit on the balcony to relax for the night. I have also been enjoying speaking Spanish while I am here. There are some triathletes from Venezuela here with us so I enjoy practicing with them and they say I speak very well so thank goodness all my years studying it in school paid off :)

Pics: Some pics from the camp so far. Hills going up to the house, the group, view on a ride and my fave cereal in Spanish, lol

Quote: " It is not the place, nor the condition, but the mind alone that can make anyone happy or miserable."- Roger L’Estrange

Skirts, Costa Rica and Mtn to Fountain!

2011-02-08T18:00:00.003-07:00

I'm getting excited for the 4th annual Skirt Chaser 5k race this Saturday here in Tempe, at the Tempe Beach Park! I have enjoyed this race every single year it's put on, and this year I'll be gunning for my fourth title of not being "caught" by the chase men who start 3 minutes after the women. It's super fun and will be a great event to do before I head off to Costa Rica that night :) Now it's time to decide which of my many skirts I'll race in?? ;)

Have I mentioned I am excited for Costa Rica??! hahaha..it's almost here and with this week jam packed with training (3 days of triple workouts!), working and getting EVERYTHING ready to go, I'll be the most relaxed when I finally sit down on the plane :) As many of you triathletes know, and some runners may not, taking everything you need not only for a triathlon race, but an entire training camp week, seems endless. Packing for 3 sports, nutrition stuff, gear stuff and ummm taking apart my bike and getting it in the bike box to be ready for the airplane will likely be done late at night on Friday...let's hope D is home to help me! :) My mind goes from excited to apprehensive to nervous, like a cycle, every 24 hours. I am nervous I won't be able to keep up with everyone at camp, mostly in the biking and swimming, HA ;) I am nervous my coach is going to find a gazillion things wrong with my swim technique, bike form, etc. and I know it will overwhelm me and make me feel inadequate...

BUT, that's where my mental positivity and patience needs to come right in and smack my mind right...refining your skills and technique with two sports you have not done for 16 years (like your strong sport), takes TIME, for crying out loud. I tend to want results immediately. I want to be great right away. Maybe I am too hard on myself...as evident from the camp I went to last year in Tucson when I broke down sobbing on the phone to my mom after the first day because I hated myself and didn't feel I was good enough...Then 4 weeks later I qualified for Kona easily, at Oceanside, with minimal training those two months prior. The physical talent is there but my mental relentless positivity needs to improve about 20 notches; I know it will come eventually. I know everyone struggles with this at times but a HUGE goal for me this year is to take everything- ONE. DAY. AT. A. TIME....honestly, it's a daily struggle for me...so it's something I better be an expert at by the end of the year :)

Another great race that our awesome local Bandidos group is putting on this year is the Mountain to Fountain 15k, in Fountain Hills, AZ on March 12th. They have great prize money, age group awards and even a team competition where the winning team wins their weight in beer from Four Peaks Brewery! Four Peaks will be there on-site for the beer garden FUN afterward. It's a USATF certified course and will definitely be a fast course, with the first 5k being mostly downhill and then not many climbs thereafter. If you are interested in racing you should take advantage of the awesome happy hour they are having at Four Peaks Brewery this Friday from 5:30 to 7:30, Feb. 11th. It will be tons of fun and you can get a registration discount while also having some tasty appetizers and even better beer from our awesome local brewery. Don't miss it!

Pic: My cow friends I see on almost every ride...they stop and stare as I ride by and I just think it's hilarious :) I wish I could set them all free to graze in a huge pasture...

Quote: "It takes time to build a castle."- Irish Proverb

Keep Your Eyes On The Prize!!

2011-02-03T18:39:00.003-07:00

Everyone goes through rough patches during life. Whether it be someone training for a really important race, a student in med school or a family member dealing with a severe sickness; the toughest trials in life show us who we truly are, what we are made of. Getting through really rough days, weeks, months and years usually make us stronger people and we learn new things about ourselves. It's sad to say but often tragic events completely wake us up to what really matters to us the most! I remember when one of our dogs was hit by a car in the fall of 2008 and it was almost as if everything in my whole word did not matter at all; I dropped everything to take care of him and nurse him back to health, including running...I didn't even want to leave the house in fear that something would happen while I was gone and just in general I felt so guilty.

Anyway, thank goodness nothing drastic has happened in my life (knock on wood), but lately I've been forcing myself to think about what really matters to me in my life right now. I have so many goals and dreams for myself and I'm not a very patient person, so I tend to analyze and stress about how I am going to make them all happen, ASAP! I don't like to make the excuse "Oh I'm still pretty young. I have time"...because we don't know how much time we will have in life, and I want to live every day with no regrets. The weeks following Kona last year I regretted not going and racing. Although I had a big focus on the NYC marathon, I still wished I had gone to Kona.

This year, although I have not qualified as of now, I am living my life and visualizing my training as if I AM going. I have HUGE goals for Kona this year and many big dreams for my career this year. The past few days have been rough for me in the positive mental attitude realm. Today I managed to turn it around quite a bit and also had a good workout this morning, visualizing racing in Costa Rica in barely over a week! All in all, everyone doubts themselves here and there when they are pushing themselves to their limits, thinking "Geez I don't know if I can do this!" Most of my doubts tend to stem from outside sources and I have to push those away and focus on myself, keep my eyes on the prize that I've wanted for so so long. When that day comes and all that I've worked for turns into a huge success, I know all the doubts I had will finally be washed away and I'll be so incredibly proud of myself :)

If you ever doubt yourself and what level you can reach, whether it's your career, athletics or both, read the article about the Raelert brothers in the current issue of LAVA magazine..it'll surely inspire you to never.stop.believing in yourself!! :) If your mind can conceive it and your heart believes it, you can achieve it!

Pic: A little reminder to myself when any doubts come in...

Quote: "Mirinda Carfrae ran a record 2:53:32 marathon in Kona this year, making many believe, for the first time, that a woman can break 2:50 on the run"- LAVA magazine....yeaaaa baby ;)

Houston Race Recap and Pumped for swimbikerun!

2011-01-30T21:36:00.003-07:00

Going into Houston I didn't really have many expectations. I felt great going into the race and the few running workouts I did went well, so I knew I'd probably run decent with a small chance of a magical day. A big reason I wanted to go race was to see the loop we'll be running in the trials course and see Houston, the race venue and how the race organizers are going to handle the Olympic Trials in less than one year!

My mind was a big "blah" so to speak, the morning of the race. I stayed calm and didn't feel tons of nerves. I kept telling myself to not worry about the end result, just get out there, race every mile yet more importantly race smart and pay attention to the course. Thankfully my head and heart kept me positive during a race, once again! I felt amazing until about mile 8, where I started to feel myself getting hotter (it was warm and humid and not enough water stops!). I kept pressing as much as I could, keep my form from falling apart and not let more women pass me (only 1 did from the time the entire race started). It felt good to gradually reel women in who started out too fast because it gives you a feeling of positive momentum. The trick is not to settle just because you've passed people in front of you; you have to make sure you are still pushing the pace where you want it to be.

I finished in 14th place in 1:15:24. Some argue that Garmin watches are not accurate but mine showed the course being way long- 13.32 miles! Others had it long as well, so I hope they fix that before the marathon...26.2 is enough and an extra .4 would not be fun, haha :) Basically, for the Trials, they will have us run an out and back section at the start of the race (away from the finish line and then back toward it, for a total of 2.2 miles)...then we keep on running through the finish for the start of the 3, 8 mile loops. Each 8 mile loop has 2 very sharp 180 degree hairpin turns that massively slow your momentum! The reason they made the course this way is to mimic the London Olympic Marathon course. Is having hundreds of trials qualifiers running this type of course beneficial when at most only 3 make the team? Some argue no but I guess being mad about it or hating it will only mess up your head going into such a big race..you have to accept it and train to be ready for it.

As I talked with friends and people I knew after the race, made my way back to my room and took an ice bath, I couldn't help but feel huge rushes of excitement for my big swimbikerun races in Costa Rica in less than 2 weeks! I have been working pretty hard in the pool and riding Mr. Specialized a lot, so I really think it will show me what kind of shape I am in this early in the year and how much harder I have to work the next few months. It seriously seems as if Christmas was just here and it's been over a month, so with time flying so fast, you have to make the most of every training and recovery week because both determine how successful you are going to be on the race course!

We had some beeeeauuutiful days here in Phoenix the past couple weeks but rain and colder temps are rolling in this week..time to get my toughness back up a few notches :) Have a great week everyone!

Pic: cool pic from PF Changs my friend took.

Quote: "Of course it's going to be hard...it wouldn't be worth it if it weren't"- actress in a movie I saw :)

Flat tires, Lifetime Fitness and Beeline + Burgers!

2011-01-27T09:06:00.005-07:00

Monday morning I had a scheduled hill workout on the bike so I set out at 8 am for my ride. Almost 14 miles from home I suddenly had a flat tire and started to fix it. Unfortunately my CO2 cartridges did not work properly (or I was just a bit dumb) and was left with a new tube with hardly any air in it. Thank goodness I really never get flats and the last time I had to change one during a ride was probably summer of 2007! I started to panic, being in the middle of nowhere, no cars stopping to ask if I was ok and no one to call because D and K were at work. I immediately got really angry, hating what I was doing and thinking really negative. The tears started and my anger got worse and worse.

I called Adam to ask him if it was safe to ride home on the flat and he didn't recommend it. Unfortunately his idea of a cab was kinda out of the question, so I hung up and called mom. She said she'd come get me but she has a Mini as well and getting my bike and another person in the car makes you feel like you are doing a circus stunt...:) I called my brother and he immediately told me he'd come get me...awww my sweet brother saved the day and he was there in less than 30 min! As I sat on the side of the road trying to stay warm in the sun, I gradually calmed myself down and started to think more positive thoughts on how to prevent the situation from happening in the future! 1) Get a small hand pump for my bike 2) Figure out how to use my other CO2 little doo-hickey (I don't know what it's called, lol), rather than the complicated gun type thing I had that didn't work 3) Just be happy you had another safe ride without getting hit by a crazy bike-hating driver! I went home and did an altered workout Adam gave me on the trainer until my quads almost burned off :)

After trying out the Lifetime Fitness gym in Tempe for a week, I finally have a membership! I am really excited because they have an indoor pool as well as a beautiful outdoor pool that opens around March. They have a beautiful gym as well, with amazing facilities and I really love it so far. They are also open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, so for instance last night when I could NOT sleep, I decided to go and do my swim workout at 10 pm rather than toss and turn and have to get up at 5 am to do it before my flight. The pool was basically empty at that time and the super hot hot tub warmed me up afterward and helped me sleep well later once I got home and showered off all the chlorine! I can't wait to try their yoga and pilates classes as well.

Yesterday I had an incredibly awesome ride from Triple Sports in Scottsdale, up the Beeline, down Shea and through Fountain Hills to Rio Verde and back. I rode with some friends which made it so much more enjoyable and I didn't think about the horrendous head wind we had while also climbing up the Beeline! Flying down all the hills of course was super fun and we finished up at The Orange Table afterward and I had the most amazing burger (as usual)..green chili, cheddar and avocado. YUM! :p Thankfully my car was still safe and sound with no ticket in the "15 min parking" spot that I parked in. LOL! I went in to Triple Sports afterward and bought some extra CO2s as well, hahaha

Pics: The house where we are staying for the Tri camp in Costa Rica and our view from the house! :) *CAN'T wait*

Quote: "Associate yourself with people of good quality, for it is better to be alone than to be in bad company" ~ Booker T. Washington

More Fitness Half Marathon!, Brick workouts + Houston next weekend!

2011-01-22T18:26:00.004-07:00

This week has been filled with lots of fun and positive experiences. Radio and newspaper interviews, messages from friends and great support from my sponsors. It's truly been an amazing week and I've loved every minute of it. Now the training and planning for the rest of the year is in full effect and Adam and I are working things through. I have been invited back to race in the More Magazine/ Fitness Magazine Women's Half Marathon, put on by the New York Road Runners and I am extremely excited! Racing in NYC has become familiar for me and it's one of my favorite cities to run in. One thing I LOVE about this race is the fact it's all in Central Park. Yes, it's a bit hilly but the fact that on the second loop you get so many cheers from the other women and obviously the fans on the side, it really keeps your thoughts on pushing hard, not whether you are on a hill or not. Last year the weather was incredibly cold and raining yet I had a great experience, got to meet Kristin Davis from Sex and the City and set a new course record. I'm planning on having an even better year this year and if you live in the NY area or are up for a trip to NYC, I highly recommend this race..great "girls trip" type of event! The expo is super fun with lots of great vendors and the pre-race pasta party they have is super fun as well. However as of a couple days ago the registration was nearly full, so register ASAP! Hope to see you there :)

Today I did my first brick workout of the year- 3.5 hr ride and then 20 minute run. Running off the bike, my legs always feel a little funny right in the first half mile or so, yet then I try to get in a good rhythm and usually end up running a good pace. Doing long rides knowing you still have a run to do afterward can really test your mental strength sometimes. Thank goodness today the weather was a beautiful 70 degrees, a good 40 degrees *cooler* than what it will be 5 months from now!!! I tried to think of just the ride and then focus on the run when I got back and had to change shoes, etc. Something I alwaaays do during really long workouts is think about what I will make to eat afterward, hahaha :) It keeps me excited to keep pushing the pace and get the job done for the day...then enjoy food, relaxation, playing with my dogs, etc. Ride + run brick workouts are really important for me with my triathlon training because if I want to accomplish my time goals in triathlons, my legs need to be used to that post-bike run feeling!

Adam and I waited to see how I felt all week after the marathon on Sunday and since I am feeling good and don't have any issues, I'm definitely headed to Houston next weekend for the USA Half Marathon National Championships. Woo hoo! I'm excited to go get in a hard half marathon effort and get a feel for the Olympic Trials Marathon course. For the half next weekend, they are having us run an out and back 5.1 mile section and then we are running the 8 mile loop that we will run 3 times during the Olympic Trials marathon. From what I have heard, for the Olympic Trials marathon course, we will run about a mile out to the loop, run the loop 3 times and then head back to the finish. I'm so happy it's a loop course because spectators can see us multiple times! :)

Pics: From this past Sunday after the marathon and my 4 boys snuggling together :)

Quote: "There is only one success – to be able to spend your life in your own way." - Christopher Morley

What is a dream if it doesn’t come true…?

2011-01-17T11:07:00.009-07:00

My goodness, where do I start? I don’t want to write a long novel about yesterday’s race, so I will try to simply write about the most meaningful stuff ☺

First of all, I did NOT specifically train for this marathon at all! After NYC I did NO major hard workouts. The only hard efforts I did were local races here in AZ and the XTERRA half marathon world champs in Hawaii in early December. This route helped me stay a bit distracted, so to speak and not freak out about racing another marathon. My swimming and biking has been pretty high in volume considering I had not been in the pool or on Mr. Specialized since July! Starting a new job in December, getting a 4th dog and training for 3 sports kept my mind off any pressures that may have been there, had I not been as occupied!

Goal for this race: WIN, no.matter.what! Therefore, I knew since I had not done any races at a super fast speed, I could not go and try to run 5:50 miles in a marathon! I made a race plan in my head the day before: race the first half marathon as relaxed as possible and try to not over-think any split..goal was around 6 minute pace. I hit the half in 1:18:58 and my friend told me the second place woman was only about 12 seconds back. “Well, time to press a little bit” I thought. I ran 5:55’s for a little bit and then hovered around 6’s again. I knew I wanted to really push running up Indian School Rd. It can be a super tough part of the course..the road is a false flat, windy and the sun is right in your eyes! I pressed harder through here to maintain pace and gradually extended my lead. My fueling was great for this race as well. I only had 2.5 Vanilla Bean GU gels and water. I actually missed my bottle at the 15.6 mile marker but didn't turn around to get it...and I still was fine. No stomach problems or side cramps. Woo hoo! Before the race I ate toast with butter and honey and 2 packs of GU Chomps. OMG they sent me the new Peach Tea flavor and I LOVE LOVE LOVE them! sooo yummy..and they have 2x caffeine :)

I have not remained relentlessly positive in a marathon like I was yesterday, maybe ever! I stayed calm, believed in myself and ran the smartest race I could. My mom and I LOVE the motto “Keep Calm and Carry On” (she has it framed in her house)…there was a woman on the course with a poster with the same saying and I smiled when I saw it, pointed to her and yelled “I love your sign!” (I think it was meant to be for me to see it early in the race! ;) ) I looked at my splits online and I negative split the second half by one second! I ran pretty much the EXACT same splits! Crazy~ 1:18:58-1:18:57…so awesome ☺

My friend Steve was on his bike and continued to tell me what kind of lead I had. Without his cheering I don't think I would've enjoyed those last 10 miles as much. Thanks so much Steve! You are the best! ☺ Also, the lead female cyclists were INCREDIBLE!! One woman, Leslie, was riding her bike up ahead of me and telling spectators on the sidelines that I was a local girl and what my name was!! Oh my gosh she was just so awesome for doing that. I'll definitely be sending her a card in the mail, along with the other women, to thank them for all that they did to make my race even more special! As I ran south on Hayden I smiled from the inside out, knowing all I needed to do was not fall on my face and I was going to win the race. I made the turn onto University, hit the 25th mile marker and then it felt like an eternity before I made the turn toward the stadium. I saw the yellow banners on the barricades, all the people cheering and standing on Packard Dr. and I started sprinting like a madwoman! My last quarter mile was at 5:02 pace LOL ☺

I crossed the line and the emotion I had was pure happiness. I gave hugs to family and friends, did interviews for the news channels and made my way out of the finish chute. At the awards ceremony I got to say a few things and told everyone that my win was for everyone in Tempe, my favorite city in the whole state! I’ve dreamed about what it would be like to experience this post-race feeling and here I am doing it, three years after my first ever marathon here. I am on cloud nine! ☺ Friends called me yesterday and last night when they saw me on the news as well, and that really capped off the already super special day. My sister’s 21st birthday was yesterday…a 100% perfect day would have happened if she was at the finish line to give me a hug….12 months from now I’ll make sure she’s in Houston ☺

My family out driving, running and riding bikes on the course, my friends on the sidelines and biking on the course and everyone who took pictures for me, congratulated me and celebrated with me, I cannot THANK YOU enough!! It feels so darn good to accomplish something I’ve wanted for so long for ARIZONA! Woo hoo baby!

Here is another link to the article from the Arizona Republic paper today. There are more awesome pictures in the actual paper as well. Cannot wait to frame it and keep it on my wall for added motivation. I used to envision not only winning the race but being on the front of the sports page (cheesy I know ;) )…and when I saw it this morning I grinned while standing in the gas station reading it ☺

Pics: From the race, from friends and also photographers from the Republic. I’ll add more from my camera after I upload them.

Quote: “Dreams come true; without that possibility, nature would not incite us to have them”-  John Updike

This one's for you Arizona...

2011-01-15T08:22:00.008-07:00

24 hours from now I'll be a little under an hour into the PF Changs Rock n Roll Arizona Marathon. My runs the past few days have felt like adrenaline was pumping through my body as if it were race morning; I'm EXCITED!!!...probably more excited for this race than any race I've ever done (except maybe some state championship races in HS).

I was born in Phoenix, raised until college in Tempe, went off to Duke, came back to AZ, lived in Scottsdale for a year and if you ask any of my former college teammates, all I did was talk about how awesome Arizona is when I was at Duke :):) I LOVE Arizona so much and I cannot wait to race through three of its many awesome cities and hopefully be not only the first American woman to win the race but also the first from Arizona!!!

My family and the people in my life from Arizona have given me so much. My family did so much for me but the biggest thing they did was support me through anything. I made my own decision as a 15 year old to transfer high schools (spurring a huge controversy yet held my head high and everything worked out), worked my butt off taking all honors and AP classes, worked a job and won 9 individual, 1 relay and 3 team state championships while at Mountain Pointe High School. Of course there will always be the "haters", (aka my motivators, hehe;) ) but I love my family, friends and fans so incredibly much!!

Anything can happen in a marathon and tomorrow I'll be racing and visualizing what I want out there, doing everything possible to make it happen. After my first marathon here in 2008 (6th place) a new dream materialized in my head- WIN the damn thing someday! Fifth place in 2009 was a big disappointment, although a 4 minute PR did happen, which was great. I learned from the NYC marathon a little bit more about my fueling and this time....just my Vanilla Bean GUs and water will fuel me out there during the race :) I'll be thinking of ALL of you out there who support me, love me and want to see me do well. Most of all though I'll be out there gunning for that finish line on Packard Drive happy to be representing the state that has essentially hoisted me to the level I've reached. I'm hoping this race propels me mentally and physically to another new level....

Here is a link to an article from the Arizona Republic from this past Thursday

Quote: "If you had one shot, one opportunity, to seize everything you ever wanted, in one moment, would you capture it, or just let it slip?"--Eminem

Excited for so many things right now!

2011-01-12T15:04:00.004-07:00

Wow, so many great things are happening lately and I'm excited and looking forward to lots of upcoming races, traveling and events! First off is the PF Chang's Rock n Roll marathon in 4 days! woop woop :) Three years ago this was my first marathon so here I am doing it for the third time...2008, 2009 and now 2011. This race has always been special to me because it goes all over the big major cities where I have grown up and been training for the past 16 years :) I hope to make everyone in AZ super proud on Sunday morning. So many friends in the area are racing as well so I hope to see them in the finish area after the race and hear everyone's race stories. Looks like the weather is going to be great too, so I am a very happy girl right now!

I'm also super excited because my swimming and biking has been going really well and I'm starting to really love being out there doing all three sports. This morning I definitely didn't want to go ride for 2.5 hours in the cold but I put my capri running tights on over my bike shorts, my NYC marathon fleece beanie on under my helmet, gloves, etc. and the only hard part was dealing with my numb toes. Time to get some toe covers for my shoes! I also have been thoroughly enjoying my Mint Chocolate GU's on all my rides lately. I eat one every hour and I always look forward to them. Seriously they taste like junior mints! :)- I also received my boxes of Cherry Lime Roctane gels in the mail so those will be devoured soon too.

My countdown to Costa Rica has already started as well! I'm superrrr excited to go there, train, meet some awesome coaches and athletes and race TWO races! I can only imagine how beautiful and wonderful the experience is going to be. They will be my first triathlon races since last March. I've already been working hard though so I know I will be ahead of where I was in March 2010. It helps to get this early start on base training, even when I don't want to be out in the colder temps...yesss 40 is COLD to me ;)

Finally, my other event I'm super excited about is the Ragnar Relay I'm doing with 11 other people here in AZ on Feb 25-26th. If you don't know what it is, it's a team relay race from Wickenburg, AZ to Tempe, AZ, a total of about 200 miles! I'll be doing 3 legs totaling about 21 miles and I'm doing the race with some really fun people! Our shirts are cute (main color is Duke blue so of course they are ;) )...and all around it sounds like it's going to be a great time! I did a similar race a couple summers in college with Duke teammates, called the River to Sea relay, out in New Jersey and we had SO MUCH FUN. How can running with friends, eating, driving, music, coffee, cat naps, and cold showers at random high schools not be fun??! An awesome adventure awaits I am sure....:) I'm already planning on fueling everyone with GU gels, Chomps and Electrolyte Brew, so we will definitely have the tastiest sports nutrition at least!

Pics: Me repping AZ to the fullest on our "state costume day" at practice in college LOL :) and PF Chang's 2009---gotta turn that frown upside down this year... :)

Quote: "If we did the things we are capable of, we would astound ourselves." -Thomas Edison

Midnight FUN, PF Changs, Costa Rica!! and work 25, train 25 :0)

2011-01-05T11:18:00.006-07:00

Mom, Sam and I rang in 2011 with a fun 3 mile race out in the frigid temps on the west side of Phoenix. As soon as I finished I turned around to cheer Sam through the line and then we ran off to find mom and cheer her to the finish line. We made bets on what her time would be and I came within SIX seconds! woo hoo :) I'm so happy for her and she is totally hooked on running and increases her mileage on her own, which makes me so proud. We enjoyed the yummy cornbread and chili courtesy of the sponsor, Sweet Tomatoes, and had fun talking to some friends to end the night.

2011 racing plans are still in progress but I am gradually setting things in stone, so that's a nice relief. Adam and I will continue to work on the plans and one for sure is a triathlon camp in Costa Rica and then the two Rev3 triathlon races on Feb 19th and 20th (Olympic and half). I CANNOT WAIT. The house we are staying in is AMAZING. Check out his blog for full details on the camp and if you are someone who's interested, let me know and I can refer you for a discount :) http://adamzucco.blogspot.com Adam has a recent blog about the camp. I have never been to Costa Rica yet the photos and what I have heard are all great, so I'm definitely looking forward to it. The fact we end the camp racing also makes me super excited :)

I have decided to race the Rock n Roll PF Changs Marathon here in Phoenix, and I am really looking forward to it. I didn't race last year but it was my first ever marathon and olympic trials qualifying race in 2008 and in 2009 I raced and set a 4 minute PR. I'm hoping this year I have another fun experience. I can't wait to have family and friends out on the course cheering! Running through Phx, Scottsdale and finishing in my home city of Tempe makes it an incredibly special race for me. Next year I definitely cannot race it due to the Olympic Trials being the same exact weekend, so this is my last chance for a couple years or more. Let's hope my legs truly rock and roll for me on January 16th! :) (also S's 21st bday, woo hoo!)

Ever since I started working with Adam, my training and busy factor has gone through the roof! I am working about 25 hours per week and last week I trained about 24 hours!!! WOW. It feels great to have every day be a productive one, yet now my sleep and nutrition I have to watch even more. It's easy to live off fruit, veggies, quick protein bars, bags of GU Chomps, peanut butter sandwiches, chocolate bars, etc. yet I need to make sure I am getting in everything I need to recover and train at my best possible level. The weather here is also pretty darn cold (for us Phoenicians at least), so jumping in an outdoor pool when it's 45 degrees outside makes me kinda feel a little nutz-o! The days are so short too, with it being dark from 5:45 pm t0 7 am....I try to train as much as I can when the sun is out--so much more enjoyable!

Pic: New Year's Midnight Madness- post race with mamma and Sammy

Quote for today: ‎"You still have your potential hidden away in a pocket or dark corner somewhere. Maybe when you are ninety your potential will slow down. It's almost like you need many many years to finish what you were put on this earth to do"-- someone really special in my life

Life is oh so good :)

2010-12-29T19:17:00.005-07:00

Is it really only Wednesday? Today felt like a Saturday or Sunday filled with nothing but training, eating and a couple hot showers since it's ummm in the 40's and raining. all.day.long.and.tomorrow.all.day.long!!! At 6 am when my alarm went ring a ding ding in the dark, I did NOT want to get up. The cold weather outside and the fact I was about to do a 4 hour bike ride all around unknown hilly territory just kinda made me want to crawl back into bed and snooze away :) Nope, I turned the negative thoughts into positive real quick and before I knew I was flying on Mr. Specialized all the way down Bell Road and could see all the gorgeous city lights out in the distance.

Soon enough I met up with my friend Jo and we started our ride. I LOVED it. She took me on a big awesome loop through Scottsdale, Fountain Hills, Rio Verde and up "9 mile hill" until we dropped back into Scottsdale and made our way back. I really enjoyed it and riding with someone else just makes it sooo much more enjoyable. I gobbled up 3 Mint Chocolate GUs along the way, while daydreaming about what hot beverage I would enjoy the second I walked in the door....ummm Gingerbread coffee..duh ;)-

A nice hot shower awaited me next. The rain rolled right into the valley the last 10 miles of the ride..numbing me to the core by the time I got home! I made a yummy lunch, hot coffee, tea and relaxed in sweats until workout #2 and possibly #3 if I decided to swim in the evening. My run at 3 pm turned into a running ice bath, as my shirt, gloves, shorts, shoes, compression socks and arm warmers dripped water galore as I hobbled up the driveway. Last time I had a run like today was back at Duke when it was high 30's and pouring rain! The last 2 miles of my ice run I definitely decided--screw a swim workout in the dark cold rain!

Anyway, this week of training has been pretty special in many ways. It's forcing me to do things I haven't done in months (swim and bike) and to realize that life is oh so great when you take it one day at a time. Those who know me reallllly well, know that I think very far into the future, not only with athletic goals but also life goals, plans, hopes, dreams, etc., often paralyzing me in the here and now to just GO for it. I change my mind on certain ideas sometimes in a matter of 12 hours! (athletic ideas). Therefore I decided to start working with a coach who I have known for about a year now. We have discussed coaching options a few times the past year and for one reason or another (mostly my fear of failure and therefore changing my mind), I usually opted to just do my own thing.

After so much analyzing, hard-core stressing and almost downright depression, I decided that it's time I put most of the decisions and analyzing into someone else's hands, while I follow blindly and work my butt off. Within the first two days of working together, he had already sent me some awesome little uplifting emails that just got me excited, because when you have a coach who totally believes in you and wants you to accomplish ALL your goals, it really keeps you going when things get HARD. The coach I am working with is Adam Zucco, with Training Bible Coaching (no it's not a religious group, lol). www.trainingbible.com and his blog: http://adamzucco.blogspot.com

He is great so far and I am so excited to be working with someone who continues to have incredible success with ALL of his athletes! Improvement is a sure sign you are on your way to becoming a better athlete! I also love the fact that he races triathlons as well and is damn good! 9:16 at Kona this year?!?! Adam will be coaching me with my running and triathlon goals, while also listening to what tends to work for me with my running, since I have been doing it for so many years. His all around triathlon knowledge, coupled with some tidbits from me on my running history will undoubtedly be a surefire coach-athlete relationship for awesome success!! I have a great feeling about 2011...hopefully a year of many dreams come true :)

*Once again no pic, sorry not on my computer again.

Quote for today: "It doesn’t interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for. It doesn’t interest me how old you are, I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for your dreams, for the adventure of being alive. I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine and still shout at the edges of a lake, river or mountain yes! It doesn’t interest me where you live or how much money you have. I want to know if you can get up after a night of grief and despair, weary and bruised to the bone and do what needs to be done for someone you love. I want to know if you can be alone with yourself and truly like the company you keep in the empty moments in your life. Live more than your neighbors, unleash yourself upon the world and go places. Understand that this is not a dress rehearsal, this is it, your life. Face your fears and live your dreams, take it all in, yes, every chance you get, come close; and yes, by all means what ever you do, get it on film." - John Blais

Very Merry Week :) + "there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful"

2010-12-25T21:20:00.004-07:00

Merry Christmas everyone and to those of you who don't celebrate Christmas I hope you all enjoy YOUR holidays you celebrate :) I have had a terrific week with good training, great friends, awesome family time and plenty of laughs! We had more dogs at our house today than people, HAHAHA..with the ones I am house sitting for and also our 4, it was a full house of love! The black lab kept getting in the pool which made my brother laugh so hard because the water is probably 50 degrees! I always love this holiday time of year and we only have one more night to celebrate, New Years! Then it's on to 2011 with plenty of new adventures, fun experiences and of course extremely hard work! I'm looking forward to a fresh new year that's for sure.

Training has been going pretty well. I have not added up my mileage for the week yet but tomorrow I'm doing my longest run in many months, 22 miles. I've had a little hamstring/butt issue going on that starts later in my runs so I'm hoping I feel ok tomorrow to get it done and practice with my water and GUs. I am going to try to do my next marathon with just water and GUs rather than the GU Brew electrolyte drink plus gels, because in New York it was just too much for me. I think in longer hotter races it's great, especially long distance triathlons or hot and humid weather marathons.

I started working for a company here in AZ that puts on athletic events around the state and so far it's great and totally something that fits my personality and interests. I can't wait to do the events and meet lots of great people. But wow, until now I never truly realized what goes on behind the scenes to put on an event and there is SO much to do! Triathlons are obviously more work since there are three different sports involved but even running or biking events are extremely intense. It makes me appreciate race directors and their entire team of workers. Not to mention the countless volunteers who do soooo much...I value my life as a professional runner even more since starting this job :) I feel very grateful and special to be able to do this in my life.

Anyway, I got a new Garmin from Triple Sports recently and I really like it because it has heart rate and it's the smaller version (Garmin 110). However I have to say, I prefer my Garmin Forerunner 405 much more. I really like how I can see individual mile splits, current and average pace, etc. It just has some additional features that I like. Triple Sports has plenty to choose from so I highly recommend getting one from them! You can also buy things online from them, sign up for their newsletter to get special coupons, etc. If you click on their logo on the side of my blog you will be directed to their site. I cannot wait to race my first triathlon of 2011 wearing their jersey! woo hoo! :)

A friend of mine recently said something to me that struck me pretty hard. We were talking about how so many people over-think decisions and they end up finding so many negative things about their idea, etc. and she calmly said "paralysis by analysis"...that's exactly what I do sometimes!! So my goal from here forward is to stop over thinking things and if I feel I want to do a certain race (or not) and work toward a certain goal, then I need to just DO it. There will always be good and bad days and days you question why you do something, but in the end you'll most likely be extremely happy you didn't give up on yourself when the going got tough.

Pic: Sorry no picture today..I'm not on my computer typing this :(

Quotes for today: "If you want to go somewhere you're never been before, you have to take a path you've never taken before....if you don't want the same results you've always gotten, quit doing the things you've always done."

"It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new. But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful. There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power." I LOVE THIS QUOTE SOOOOO MUCH!! It relates to so many aspects of life... :)

30k, Dog #4, New GU! and..... Then There Were 3...:)

2010-12-19T17:34:00.007-07:00

This morning my sissy and I had a great time going out to Rio Vista Park in Peoria to do the Desert Classic 30k. She had never run more than 15 miles in her life and ran this race around 6:49 pace!! I am soooo extremely proud of her and VERYYYY pumped to coach her when she's done running in college. She is bound to be a marathoner and I'll get her qualified for the 2016 Marathon Olympic Trials :) The course was mostly on rolling and challenging bike paths yet there were basically no spectators except the people cheering for each other on the way back since it was an out and back course. I got excited for the turn around so I could see my friends racing and smile at everyone else! I ended up running slower than planned but with starting a new job recently, baking for friends, sponsors and family and trying to train...I've felt a bit tired. I ran alone and averaged 6:16's, which isn't bad. My friend Steve was 3rd overall and Sammy was 5th overall...so we got 1st, 3rd and 5th overall...pretty stellar for SSSStevo, SSSSammy and SSSSally, LOL

Next up in the Midnight Madness 3 mile race on New Year's Eve night and I am soooooo incredibly excited because my mom has been training and she will be running with my sister and I!! WOO HOO baby, that makes 3 of us together in ONE race for the first time ever. I trained my brother (natural runner) for the PF Chang's Half marathon in 2009 and he ran great; we still laugh about his hilarious stories of when he tried taking a GU ...man oh man fun times!...so now my mom is ready to run the 3 mile race and I am pumped. I get crazy excited and proud to see my family members accomplish running goals, more than anything I ever accomplish. Mom, Sam and I'll have to wear some fun matching outfit or something :)

Alsoooo, I have a 4th dog now and he is super adorable. A friend of mine could no longer care for her 2 year old Yorkie (Maxx) so I told her I could take him and bring him into our lil family :) So far, so good. Wilbur (mamma's boy) doesn't really like it when Maxx is near me and follows him wherever he goes to make sure he shows him who is boss. He has gotten much better about getting along with him and Barney and Winston have been good and love to play with him so I am happy. When you have 3 Terrier personalities to deal with, another one isn't much of a difference..just a bit more stubborn attitude to throw around ;)

Christmas is almost here and my shopping is DONE! yahhoooo..Sammy and I had fun driving around yesterday, blaring and singing to music, getting coffee, Baja Fresh and of course shopping for others turned into me also shopping for myself. Ooopsies ;) hence why I never go shopping just for the hell of it because you see so many things you want...thank goodness I had a ton of money in gift cards to spend on myself..good justification right?

I continue to take my training day by day and week by week. My planning for next year continues to remain in limbo, with me changing my mind every other day :) I know what I WANT for the year...now it's a matter of working backwards and planning it all out! I continue to run about 10-15 miles per day or so and that feels good. I rode Mr. Specialized with a friend of mine the other day. It was incredibly fun to be out riding and forget where I was and what I was doing because I had someone to talk to! I need to train more (esp on the bike and swim) with others, because it helps the time go faster.

GU has some new flavors coming out now and I am SUPER(*&^^% excited :)- I already received some Cherry Lime Roctane in the mail and they are yummmmmy. Another new item will be a new flavor of GU Chomps- Peach Tea! I LOVE LOVE LOVE sweet tea so I am hoping they are going to have that type of taste :) We will see..I'll keep you posted on what I think. All for now...another busy week coming up and finishing off with a great Christmas weekend!!

Pic: From XTERRA..(check out the ocean in the background!!)

Quote for today: "People become really quite remarkable when they start thinking that they can do things. When they believe in themselves they have the first secret of success."- Norman Vincent Peale

Time To Race Like I Drive! :)

2010-12-12T17:43:00.003-07:00

I absolutely love to drive my car. Freeways, road trips, anything that does not involve stopping much. High speeds are the most fun :) I hate driving slow and anything below 65 mph feels boring and I can feel myself tense up. Full throttle. Pedal to the metal is my favorite way to drive. Of course I slow down in neighborhoods, school zones, and anywhere the chance of a ticket is high. But put me on the freeway or open road and all I want to do is push my speedometer as far as I can without too much of a risk of seeing the red and blue lights pull up howling behind me. Two speeding tickets in 11 years of driving...not too bad ;) My dream car is a BMW M3, which will be my 30th b-day present to myself.. For now my Mini is incredibly fun, especially around turns without braking ;) Anyway,....

While driving the past few months I couldn't help but think about how pushing my limits while driving is something I need to do more in racing. I think racing has many similarities to driving over the speed limit. You can take the risk and get in the fast lane, typically joining those fellow drivers willing to risk a ticket going 10-20 over the speed limit. Or you could play it safe in the "other" lanes, going 5-9 over and most likely getting to your destination safely without a ticket, maybe only a minute or two later than those who risked a ticket in the fast lane. For me, driving in the fast lane, although riskier makes me enjoy driving so much more. It's thrilling to test myself, see if I have the guts to go with the FAST flow of drivers and of course it's more fun getting to my destination in record time.

Now when it comes to my training and racing, I've always enjoyed "red-lining it" so to speak, on tempo runs, long runs and certain speed workouts. In college my coach told me I was incredibly good at LOVING pain during a workout. Sometimes during the past year I found myself almost afraid to red-line my body, thinking I need to have something in the tank for the last mile or so. However I'm sick of doing that, teetering on the safe side...I need to get back in the faster, riskier lane of racing. When you least expect it, you have amazing races when you think you might blow up (speeding ticket while driving)...but most likely your body will hold up for you and you will finish just fine (no speeding ticket). During the XTERRA race last weekend I'm pretty sure my body was red-lining the last 12 miles, lol. But in the end I had a great day and I'm happy I continued to risk blowing up, saving the actual blow up until the finish line and in the med-tent, hahaha. Whenever I have had some incredibly memorable races in the past, it was when I was in that "fast" lane, risking everything and mentally a bit nervous if I could keep it up. In the end I usually did and had a fabulous finish. Now it's time to get back to training and racing gutsy, risky and FAST. After all, life is more fun in the fast lane, right? :)

Pic: My future baby

Quote for today: "Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it."- Goethe

XTERRA Trail Run World Champion!! :):)

2010-12-06T00:40:00.016-07:00

Laying here on my big bed relaxing after the XTERRA after party, with the sliding glass door open and gorgeous breezy weather blowing in has me feeling pretty good. However my body hurts and I think my calves grew by an inch today after the crazy terrain we raced on! I have my unbelievably beautiful handmade flower wreath, leafy green boa and yummy smelling real flower lei, layed out on my bed ready to try and make the journey home to AZ tomorrow :) My huge awesome metal sculpture trophy is waiting to break my back in my backpack on the way home as well, lol. There will be a video made my XTERRA on their website soon but we got to see it tonight and me flying off the side of the cliff and down a ravine left everyone laughing and me sitting in my chair grinning and laughing so hard my eyes were watering. I can laugh about the race now, yet let me tell you in great detail about this race this morning...

The bus ride to Kualoa Ranch was stunning. The gorgeous green cliffs and the beautiful ocean on the other side made me smile on the inside and I felt so happy to be racing in such a pretty place! I almost moved here two years ago when I was accepted to Teach For America yet declined due to the quarantine rules for animals and the cost involved, yet seeing it now for the first time makes me wonder how my life would be if I had taken that path instead...I guess I'll never know :) Anyway, I hung out sitting on the grass and eventually did an easy 1.5 mile warm up and light stretch since the temps outside were pretty warm. Due to the large amount of people still coming into the ranch and registering they moved the start of the race back 15 minutes...so more waiting around as the temperature climbed.

Gun went off and everyone got going on the course. Almost immediately the hills welcomed our already burning quads. There were two loops and the first shorter loop was not horrible and the hills were tough but not killer. The turn to start the second loop greeted us with a strong headwind and lots of hard hills, steep downhills, muddy areas so slippery and steep they had big ropes to hold on to, etc. By mile 6 I seriously wanted to die!! My legs hurt so bad and I didn't think I'd finish the race. I had so many horrible things going through my head and I felt like I was going to pass out at any moment! Somehow I managed to stay on my feet despite wanting to cry, scream and sit down for-just-one-minute!!*#&*%&*$ My legs wondered what the hell I was doing to them and at the steepest hill on the course they would not go any more. I HAD to start power walking...it felt almost just as bad as running. I moved as fast as I could and ran after a couple minutes, in fear the women behind me would catch me if I slowed too much. At one point I kinda screamed when a huge wild boar ran right in front of me across the trail grunting a freaky noise. I also got a little nervous when I came up on a huge group of cattle and they took a look at me coming and took off running..WOW it was crazy and they are such beautiful animals close up :)

The wider more rolling hills went on for a little while and my body stopped feeling like I was going to be buried at the ranch! The second horrible hill hit us around mile 9 and went on FOREVER. Once again, after the ridiculously long switch backs, I hit the water stop at the top and tried to get in some Gatorade and water yet most of it got spilled as I continued running. We hit the last quarter mile of rooty, narrow single track switchbacks and once again my quads gave out and I had to walk a bit. I started running again at the top and made the sharp turn left and my right leg went sliding off the side of the cliff and I went flying! HAHAHAHAHA..at the time I thought I was going to die and never stop rolling yet now I can laugh about it. The XTERRA camera guy continued filming me as he gave me his hand and helped pull me back up. I had so much dirt on me and he said to me "Are you sure you are ok? I have a radio"...I nodded and continued running, shocked at what had happened and happy I didn't seriously injure myself, lol. Another super cool thing we saw was the future site for a Hollywood film, The Lost World of Atlantis. It's being built in the middle of the ranch and it'll be interesting to see it when the movie comes out!

Somehow I kept my legs under me to win the race and become a World Champion :) I collapsed at the line and had to be treated in the medical tent with an IV, ice, etc. My body temperature was ridiculously high so I had to stay until it went down to below 101. They took great care of me and then I was off to get some food, drink, meet some super nice people, do interviews and then go to the awesome award ceremony. I took the bus back, showered, got my suit on and headed to the beach for a nice walk. The after party tonight was really fun and the slide show and video they made turned out great. I met some more great people and had a fun time. Overall it's been a fabulous mini vacation and I'm happy I decided to do the race.

I am not sure what I am going to do after this. I had planned on racing the Club XC Championships in Charlotte, NC this coming weekend but I may just go and cheer for my friends racing, or I'll race yet do it more for fun. I truly feel like I need a mental break from everything for a little while to just run when I want, swim, bike, do yoga or pilates, etc. and not have the pressure to be "ready" for a certain race. I have some mental confidence issues I need to work on and other personal goals before I can truly compete at my best. I think right now could be a great time to focus on these things. We'll see what happens...my mind is always working on some new plan...;)

Pics: various pics from the weekend events and in Hawaii (Waikiki)

Quote: "If you want to make good use of your time, you’ve got to know what’s most important and then give it all you’ve got"-Lee Iacocca

Thanksgiving race + Hawaii soon! :)

2010-11-28T14:17:00.003-07:00

Training has been going well and my 10 miler on Thanksgiving morning went really well. It was my first hard effort since the marathon and I felt so strong and in control. My time (57:29) is quite a bit faster than I wanted to run and I looked at my watch only about two times the entire race. I simply told myself to keep pushing hard and try to pass as many men in front of me as I could. The winds were crazy strong at certain points and it made me feel like I was back in NYC because it was so cold! I definitely think not doing a hard workout or race after NYC allowed me to feel pretty good for this race. Just running aerobically and doing runs I enjoyed helped me process NY and move on to future goals.

My mileage just kinda "happened" the past two weeks because I did runs based off how I felt and not hitting a certain number each week. This week I hit about 82 miles and the week before was 66, so taking the week following the marathon pretty relaxed (25 miles) was a good idea. I'm continuing to not worry about getting in certain types of workouts and I run on average at least 10 miles per day, do my core/ST every other day, drills every other day, stretch and roll on my foam roller every day, take ice baths in mom's pool, etc. :)

I decided to go to Hawaii (Oahu) this coming weekend and I cannot wait to stay in Waikiki because the only island I have been to is the big island (Hawaii) and went to cool cities there (Kona and Hilo). It will be great to relax on the beach and be in temps in the 80's since it's been in the 50's and 60's here! When I was planning my trip I looked up races I could maybe do when I am there. I knew the Honolulu marathon is the 11th but I didn't know if there would be anything on the weekend of the 4/5th. Lucky me!...the XTERRA World Half Marathon championships are on the 5th in Kualoa Ranch, the same place where many movies and shows have been filmed (Jurassic Park, 50 First Dates, Godzilla, Magnum PI). I am excited to do a different type of race (trail/jungle) and do something FUN without lots of pressure on a certain time or place. The video from last year and the pictures just look incredible and beautiful :)

My plans for 2011 are coming along well and I am getting excited and a bit nervous for some events and races. I know I have to take it one week at a time and believe that it will all fall into place. Committing to something is the hardest step in my opinion. Once you mail in that check or charge your credit card the entry fee, you are IN and you know that you must do it (unless injured of course). The most exciting part of being an athlete for me is the traveling and meeting new people. It's fun to reap the rewards of all the hard work. Racing (once the gun goes off) is so much more fun than training! :) I'm excited for 2011 and everything it may bring into my life.

Pic: XTERRA race location

Quote: "Accept yourself as you are. Otherwise you will never see opportunity. You will not feel free to move toward it; you will feel you are not deserving."- Maxwell Maltz

Holidays and planning a new year, oh my! :)

2010-11-23T17:47:00.003-07:00

Weather here in the Phoenix area is quite cold right now with highs in the 60's or high 50's..brrr for me! However it definitely makes us feel like we actually live somewhere with different seasons ;) I enjoy this time of the year with Thanksgiving in a couple days, my birthday a couple weeks later, Christmas time and then New Years! I always love baking, cooking and buying gifts for those I care about, so right now I am super excited for the next few weeks leading up to 2011.

Speaking of the new year, I am in the midst of deciding on which races to do and what my big focus will be. A fall marathon is definitely out of the question due to the Olympic Trials being in January of 2012. That leaves the option for a big marathon in the spring or early summer. I am not sure what I will do because I am still deciding on whether to do a marathon in January or not. There are so many great races in the spring that I want to do so I doubt I will do a marathon in the Feb/March time frame. As far as triathlon race plans, I'm currently working on which ones I want to do and fitting them around my running races. I think since I won't have a big fall marathon to gear up for I may have a *BIG* triathlon goal to go after in the fall, if things fall into place like I want them to. hehe, we'll see ;)-

With my 27th birthday upon me, I realize I'm not getting any younger and time flies faster every.single.year. I love talking to my friends and mentors who I look up to for advice, including my sis and mom. However sometimes I do best when I think and analyze things on my own and let my own gut make my decisions. After all, at the end of the day you have to do what YOU want, or you'll never have that passion that's so crucial to accomplishing your goals. I have certain lifetime dreams I wrote down about 3.5 years ago when my life changed drastically and I drove HOME from Durham, NC, my home for 5 of some of the best years of my life. Some of those dreams I've already accomplished. Some are future goals that I know won't happen for a few more years. Others are totally in my control and I'm kinda sick of putting them on the back burner.

I'm the type of person that when I want something, I go after it. Therefore I'm thinking I'll shut off all the outside comments, advice, ridicule, etc. and do what Sally wants. We must go after things that make us feel proud of ourselves, happy and smile. Yes there will be bumps in the road....but it's about the journey to get where you are hoping to go and when you've done it, will you be happy you did it, or if you don't, will you be mad you chose not to? Some of the best experiences of my life are things I decided to do on a whim or just simply did not "overthink" them...i.e. Going to Duke when I immediately fell in love with the campus on my visit, registering for the Cancun 1/2 Ironman when I'd never done a Tri and didn't own a bike, buying my 3 amazing dogs, registering for my first marathon and then qualifying for the '08 Trials, etc. A great thing my friend Cynthia told me once was "you learn by acting, by doing, you figure things out, and worse case scenario if things don't work, you can come back to where you started"...great advice :)

Anyway, I'm excited to finish off 2010 on a positive note, do local races here in AZ and continue to figure out my major goals for 2011 :) Good luck to you all as you race the rest of the year and happy holidays!!

Pics: One of the pics my friend and fabulous photographer took for me recently (Megan Powers-if interested in hiring her please contact me!) and me racing is courtesy Andy Dickinson from NYC marathon

Quote for today: "I think there is something, more important than believing: Action! The world is full of dreamers, there aren’t enough who will move ahead and begin to take concrete steps to actualize their vision."- W. Clement Stone

Lady Gaga?, NYC Recap + New Groove

2010-11-15T22:54:00.007-07:00

Well well well, I'm finally back in AZ and updating my blog! :) I didn't bring my computer to NYC so I wouldn't have to worry about checking email, facebook, etc. I'll try to keep everything somewhat brief, since I've already had over a week now to think about my race.

The week leading up to the race left me feeling pretty relaxed and not rushed or panic-stricken that I didn't have enough time to put my feet up, as is the case at some races. I had the pleasure of driving (or should I say sitting) in NYC traffic at rush hour, (we moved 3 blocks in 1.5 hours)..laughable now yet worst experience driving EVER! :0( Anyway, mom and I had fun watching Sammy and her team race at the Big East Championships in Syracuse and then enjoyed a few days with her before settling smack dab in the middle of mid-town Manhattan the last days leading up to the race.

I had a blast decorating my bottles with leopard print duct tape, bright pipe cleaners and some frilly red stuff to add some fun. I attached my Jet Blackberry GUs, labeled them for my specific tables, took pics (as you can see above) and dropped them off at the hotel. The pre-race technical meeting got my heart racing and I had to take a few deep breaths when I felt incredibly nervous. Mom, Sam and I went to dinner together and came back to the hotel to relax for the night.

Surprisingly I slept pretty well for the few hours I managed to fall asleep. Mom and Sam walked me to the big charter buses awaiting all the elite athletes. Police cars and motorcycles escorted us through the city and over to Staten Island. I hung out and relaxed in the nice heated tents before warming up and eventually heading to the start line with the rest of the women. I made sure my awesome leopard arm warmers were in place and also put vaseline all over my legs and some on my face to protect me from the wind and cold. I found out after the race that Toni Reavis likened my clothing style to "a faster version of Lady Gaga" on the NBC broadcast, LOL...who knew pink and leopard is so eye catching? :)

The race started off at a pedestrian 6:54 first mile..I looked at my watch once when I felt like we were jogging and we were!!- 7 min pace at one point! I thought to myself "please don't have this be another Boston-2009 race"...thank goodness things swiftly quickened at the mile mark and the race got rolling. Some women took off super fast but I stuck to running around my goal pace and not kill my legs in the first 5-10k. I eventually passed all the women ahead of me and at one point I knew I was making ground on the lead pack and someone yelled to me that I was only 36 seconds back. I felt great and excited to be hitting my goal of running my miles in the 5:40's.

Unfortunately everything changed around mile 10. I started to have a side cramp on my right side and it wouldn't go away. My pace gradually slowed as the pain felt like a knife going deeper and deeper. The last 10 miles I had hope to at least run 6 min pace or just under, in order to at least run sub 2:35. As the miles ticked away my hopes and dreams slipped down the drain as well. I started to get upset and fought back tears while trying not to have a major asthma-type breathing freak out moment. I'll spare you the horrible thoughts that went through my head but they were so awful and things someone should never think about themself. It's amazing what pain and feelings of embarrassment can do to your mentality. Somehow I managed to finish in 2:41 flat and walked back to the hotel with legs that felt like they had just done a hard long run. I have to say though that the crowds this year were AMAZING. I have never had so much support and screaming from everyone on the sidelines! I think having my first name across my bib helped yet it still shocked me how great they were. I got through the hardest moments in the race because of the people cheering. It definitely tops the list for best crowds now...:)

Right now I am not sure on when I will do another marathon. I have thought as early as a couple months from now or I may wait a bit longer. It all depends on how the next few weeks go for me. I took two days off after NYC, did not feel sore AT ALL and my runs every day since last Wed when I started running have felt good. I'm planning to go with my gut instinct and race when I feel I'll be ready to tackle it all over again. I know my fitness still exists and I desperately want to show myself and all my supporters what I am REALLY capable of. The NYRR do such a fantastic job taking care of us athletes and I cannot thank them and all their staff members enough! Hopefully I'll be back someday to race a much faster marathon :)

I definitely enjoyed the past week of eating the foods I didn't eat for 82 days!! I had some fun doing a little shopping at my favorite store- True Religion!! :):) and brought back some goodies for D and K. Now only if they made dog shirts, hehe ;) I went to New Haven, CT with a friend of mine to watch Sammy race in her NE Regional XC Champs and that was fun. The weather was beautiful and I lost my voice (still) from screaming at her so much. Now it's time to get in a new groove of training and racing, continue to have fun with what I do and most importantly, stay relentlessly positive about making all my dreams come true. One sub-par performance can't tear you down forever...

Pics: From Sammy's races, my special fluid bottles and me before the race at the hotel

Quote for today: "Our greatest battles are that with our own minds."- Jameson Frank

"Brief Chat" + It's time to go....:):)

2010-10-28T16:07:00.005-07:00

As I packed up my car today and put my boys in the backseat, I pulled out of the driveway and took one last look at my brother's awesome house that I love so much...the house where I've lived and trained since I moved back almost exactly one year ago. I thought to myself that the next time I'll see the house will be when this long exciting and challenging journey of training for NYC will all be over and it will be time to start another one all over again. It seems like just yesterday I took the short drive out to the dirt paths where I run all the time, to test my plantar fascia in my foot, on June 14th. I almost cried the first 200 meters of that run because I was filled with so much joy to be running again! The months of filling the freezer with bags of ice are over, clean sheets and clean rooms await my return, my little loves will cover me with kisses when they see me again and the 6 am traffic won't see me shuffling along the roads for hours every morning :)

Here I am a few months after starting to run again, very excited and feeling very ready to go race the *BEST* marathon of my career thus far. The last time I had this feeling of excitement (and not fear/negativity) was before the 2009 PF Chang's marathon. I think when you know you are ready and have trained very hard, you feel excited and not afraid :) (hehe, Eminem)

The hundreds of hours dedicated to training are coming to an end and in about 10 days I'll let it all out over the course of 26.2 miles through the 5 awesome boroughs of NYC. I finished my last hard workout this morning of 5x1k and felt good hitting them in 3:12, 3:07, 3:07, 3:06 and 3:06. Here are some things I'm excited about before my race:

*Watching Sammy run in her Big East Championships this Saturday!
*Chatting and catching up with Sammy about everything going on in her life!
*Decorating my bottles with my adorable leopard print duct tape!! :):)
*Going to eat at yummy restaurants in the city and also cooking at Sammy's house
*Resting and not having to do tons of working out

I'm superrrr excited for this stuff AFTER the race:

*BEER! and lots of it:):)
*Crumbs bakery cupcakes!!!!! :)-
*Magnolia Bakery banana pudding!
*Corner Bakery angel food cake!
*Dunkin Donuts maple donuts :)-
*Making my homemade popcorn and watching movies with Sammy :)
*Mexican food, chips and salsa, Margaritas, etc. mmm :)-
*SHOPPING and getting special stuff...Louboutins baby!!! ow ow :)
*Swimming and doing relaxed runs/exercise for a couple weeks :)

Anyway, I'm looking forward to the next 16 days in NYC..it's going to be a blast.

Here is the link to the "Brief Chat" I did for Runner's World. http://racingnews.runnersworld.com/2010/10/a-brief-chat-with-sally-meyerhoff-2.html

*** I also made the title of my blog a link to the chat if you don't want to have to cut and paste this...sorry I can't figure out how to add a link right here

I am soooo thankful to all my sponsors, fans, friends and family who support me and give me so much positivity and enthusiasm for what I do. I hope to make them all very proud when I race on the 7th! My bib number I believe is going to be 134 so if you want to "follow" me via texting, etc. that should be my number. :)

Pics: My Scottie pumpkin I carved last night while D, K and I had some carving fun :) and my shirt I bought in MN...how perfect is it??! A red head with the saying "What's hard to endure...is sweet to remember".....here's a big toast to a very sweet race to remember :)

That'll be my quote for today: "What's hard to endure,...is sweet to remember"

The "Haves" and "Have Nots"

2010-10-24T15:05:00.004-07:00

As the days wind down and the time gets closer to leave for NYC, I have been thinking about everything I have and have not done in order to make this marathon the best thus far in my career. If you watch the reality show Big Brother, I stole the title from it, hahaha

Let's see...I HAVE:

*Trained harder and longer than ever before in my life
*Hit all time highs in my mileage
*Done workouts I didn't think were possible
*Stayed dedicated to my training even when tempted to "go easier"
*Pushed through the negative-mindset days
*Stayed tough while training alone 99% of the time

I HAVE NOT:
*Had much of a social life (past 8 pm) due to being up at 5 or 5:30 every day :)
*Had any alcoholic drink since my last night in Cabo (July 25th!)
*Had any sweet treats, desserts, candy, etc...(as of today it's been 69 days!!)
*Given up on myself when I thought there was no possible way I could continue to suffer....

I am sure there are a lot of things I could add to these lists but this is good for now. Next up will be my lists of what I'm getting SUPER excited for pre and post race in NYC!! :):)

This past week seemed to drag on forever and the when the weekend started at 2:42 pm on Friday afternoon, I bolted from school for fresh air and no stress! My workouts the rest of the week went well after I had to take a couple days of running easy to recover from the 15x 1 mile workout. My run the next morning after that workout was the SLOWest run I've done in years, LOL...but my upper hamstrings and hips needed it :) My mileage hit about 74 which left me feeling fine. This week will be about 55, which I'm hoping isn't too little. I never thought I'd say this, but running higher mileage does make the taper seem so much more drastic! However I know I need to wind down, let my muscles heal and store up the glycogen so I can run faaaaast in TWO WEEKS!!

I ran a 15 mile long run this morning and I couldn't believe how well I did with gradually dropping my pace every single mile. My splits: 6:58, 53, 46, 41, 37, 32, 30, 26, 24, 22, 17, 14, 14, 09, and 5:58...avg of 6:28 :):) I felt pretty darn happy with that. I took an ice bath, biked to the grocery store, took a nap, etc. and enjoying a nice relaxing Sunday.

I'm starting to pack for NYC and I'll be there for a total of 16 days...well, trying to fit everything in a carry on size roller bag is interesting but I'm determined to make it work. When we get there we have to rush to get our rental car in time to drive to upstate NY to see my sister for dinner before her Big East Champs the next morning! woo hoo baby :) Ok that gave away one thing I'm excited for...better stop now or I'll keep rambling things off :)

I did a "Brief Chat" for Runner's World so when the link is up I'll post it on here...I hope it's good! :)

Pic: The beautiful desert I live in....

Quote for today: "We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face … we must do that which we think we cannot."- Roosevelt, Eleanor

777 and 15x1 mile= borderline torturous :)

2010-10-19T10:44:00.004-07:00

I'm not an incredibly superstitious person but something I thought about the other day regarding NYC marathon...7 has been my "lucky" number since I was in middle school. Well, NYC will be my 7th marathon and it's on November 7th...then I thought about how my number for NYC is going to be F 34...3 + 4 = 7....:):)...sooo I'm thinking these are some very "lucky" signs that NYC will be all that I've ever hoped for. Here's to an amazing 777 marathon...haha

My day off yesterday was very nice and I managed to stay pretty busy despite not having any running or working out to do. I packed up everything I need for the week since I'll be teaching Wed-Fri and staying at mom's house...I also took my baby loves to get groomed, did a couple errands, made my Heaven bars for my mom (with dried cherries instead of dates, YUM!) and did some stuff around the house. It felt great to relax though and I slept until 8:10 in the morning! 10 hours of sleep :)...my body woke me up at 5:30 but I forced myself to try and sleep longer :)

As the evening wound down last night I started to get a little nervous for my 15x 1 mile workout this morning. I hoped my body would hold up for me after my 22 miler only 48 hours prior. Mom was going to try and come down to be with me for the workout but her work schedule wouldn't allow that. I had planned to do the workout tomorrow but with teaching I knew I had to move it to today due to lack of sunlight in the mornings now and not wanting to be rushed. Anyway, I felt ok for the first few and then suddenly after I finished the 7th one, I thought to myself "oh my gosh, I have EIGHT left?!?! what the heck...I don't know if I can do this"...I told myself to focus on one at a time and try to get through it. I started to have a bad side cramp after 10 of them and felt like my legs were shuffling more and more. I could tell my legs were "bonking" so to speak, after about 10, so I had a difficult time focusing. I'm happy I managed to run them all in 5:35 or faster and never gave up on myself. I struggled to stay focused because I kept thinking how much I wanted to be DONE and how bored I was, hahaha :)

I'm pretty sure my 22 miler on Sunday made me feel a little more fatigued today. My total mileage for today was 21.85!! My splits for the miles: 5:33, :33, :35, :31, :32, :31, :34, :33, :32, :32, :34, :34, :35, :34, :33. Soooo happy it's done and pretty proud of myself for sticking with my schedule and doing it, yet still shocked I actually did it! Pretty sure I don't ever want to do it again though, LOL ;)

Pic: My excitement to be in Cabo...I'll be doing this pose after the marathon for sure! :):)

Quote for today: "If you had... one shot, one opportunity, to seize everything you ever wanted, in one moment, would you capture it, or just let it slip?"- Eminem

Island Nectar Roctane, Singlet is ready, Long run confidence + COMPLETE day off! :)

2010-10-17T11:36:00.006-07:00

Just when I thought GU had plenty of amazing flavors to choose from, they added another for a limited time only! Island Nectar Roctane :) yummm...I was thoroughly excited when my package of Island Nectar, Mint Chocolate and Vanilla Gingerbread arrived last week! The Island Nectar tastes so yummy..a mix of tropical flavors that taste fresh and make me feel like I'm actually in Hawaii :) If you love GU, I promise you'll be happy if you quickly order a pack before they are gone!

Last night I finished up getting all my sponsors on my singlet. I still needed to get the Triple Sports logo on my singlet because I've been wearing their visor in races yet haven't had their logo screened yet. I am out of time to actually get it done before I leave for NYC, so I went to their store and Kara and I picked out a Headsweats hat with their logo embroidered on it. I cut it out of the hat yesterday and I fit in on the upper right of the singlet so I'm happy I didn't have to put it on the back or on my skirt! I put a photo of it up here and it's ready to go..I may sew on a small GU logo on the front since I only have it on the back right now, and possibly an American flag patch. I also have a little Scottish Terrier patch that I may add as well, so I can think of them the entire 26.2 :)

My pre-race long run simulation went really well today! I started by acting as if yesterday were a pre-race day. I did my run and drills in my typical early morning hours and proceeded to shower, eat and relax all day :) I did some paperwork to be ready for tax time next year, checked email, watched TV and made some fresh homemade dog treats for my boys. Later on I took them for a walk (more like a sled dog race!) and then ate my dinner early like I usually do before a race. I got to bed by about 8:30 and I think I fell asleep around 9. I woke up at 4:30 this morning and immediately made my rice with honey and coffee. I drank about 10 oz of my GU Raspberry brew and then started to dress like I would for the race. Of course I didn't wear arm warmers, gloves or a headband like I may need in NYC, but everything else was exactly how I'll dress for the race.

I got out the door right around 6 a.m. with only a tiny bit of light coming into the sky. I opted for NO music on this run (first time ever for a long run), to really focus as if it were a race. I got started off on a great clip feeling totally relaxed and eventually I got in a groove. I started at 6:49 and quickly got down to the 6:40's, 6:30's and then two at 6:20, with my final few from 6:15 down to 5:54 :) My average pace for the 22 miles was 6:30. I'm happy with the run and feel VERY confident for NYC now. My legs feel totally fine and overall my body, breathing and everything didn't feel like I was "going to the well" so to speak. :)

I took an ice bath, made homemade french toast and now I'll relax until I do my core/ST later today. I'm EXTREMELY excited for tomorrow because it's my first day completely OFF from doing any sort of working out at all, in many many weeks! I'm going to sleep in as long as I can...although my body may wake me up pretty early since I'm so used to it. However I'll spend the day laying around, resting and enjoying a complete recovery day! woo hoo :) This past week was right around 93 miles and this week I'll take it down a notch to 70...let the gradual taper begin baby...

I'm working on a mental "list" of everything I'm excited for with the pre-race stuff, race stuff and post-race FUN..so I'll post that in the next week or so...It's going to be pretty funny :)

Quote for today (inspired by my mom's words to me): "Don’t limit yourself. Many people limit themselves to what they think they can do. You can go as far as your mind lets you. What you believe, you can achieve."- Mary Kay Ash

Pics: front and back of my racing top + my boys with it...they thought it was for tug-of-war but then stopped biting at it and modeled with it for me ;)

Pasta from scratch + lonely dark mornings until....

2010-10-13T20:09:00.002-07:00

your sister responds to your text at 5:30 am and calms you down enough to start your workout. My mind was a bit nervous for my workout this morning and therefore I kept waking up, starting at 4 am, until my alarm went off at 5. You would have thought it was a pre-race night with the way anxiety crept in. I got up and basically struggled to get my mind right and feel good about what I was doing. Sometimes I just feel so selfish with running professionally and not working another full time job; it makes me feel like I don't do enough with my life. Sam helped me feel more positive and reminded me that the hardest days to get going are the most important to get the hard work done. I popped in my Eminem CD driving to the road for my mile repeats, listened to "Not Afraid" and then got going with my warm up. I did 12x1 mile with 2 min recovery and hit them all in 5:34 or faster with my splits being 5:34, :32, :32, :27, :33, :30, :34, :34, :33, :32, :31, :24. A smile spread across my face when I finished and started to make my way back to my car. I treated myself to a large Caramel Machiatto from Tully's afterward :)

It's very hard getting up in the dark, going downstairs alone and getting ready for an extremely challenging workout, having your dogs look at you like "why the HECK are you up right now mom?!" and my body just wanting to run easy or go back to bed for a few hours! Yet the rest of this week and then next week are my last really hard weeks. When I'm in NYC in a few weeks I need to look back on everything I've been though these past few months, healing my foot (:)), working so.damn.hard. and realize that 26.2 miles needs to be a two and half hour celebration of my dedication, not something to be super nervous about or feared.

I have always wanted to get involved with the New Balance Girls on the Run program, so I think I'm going to look into volunteering with them here in the Phoenix area. Ever since I coached for a couple years at my old high school, I've wanted to get back into inspiring young kids and helping them get fitter, healthier and have fun doing it. Doing something like this will help me mentally because I always feel better when I can give back something to this amazing sport that has given me SOO much in life already. It makes me feel so good inside when I see kids get excited about running and achieving their goals.

Yesterday I went on a baking frenzy and made pumpkin spice muffins and cornbread from scratch. Then I decided to finally use my pasta roller and make pasta noodles from scratch for a big dinner for D, K and I :) It was soooo cool to make the dough and then cut it in pieces, roll it through the machine until it was just right, and then roll it through the linguine and spaghetti rollers. I put some pics up of the pasta drying on the counter and then in the strainer after I cooked it. Plain and simple..it.was.DELICIOUS!!! We all looooved it and I can't wait to make it again!! So yummy and 10 times better than dried pasta bought in the store :)

Quote for today: "Think little goals and expect little achievements. Think big goals and win big success."- David Joseph Schwartz

Wow, what a week!

2010-10-10T18:28:00.003-07:00

100.8 miles. WOW, I can officially say I have run 100 miles in one week of training. I definitely felt it during my trail race yesterday and during my long run today which I ran a bit slower than usual until the last few miles. My days were all singles and starting on Monday went: 5, 16, 13, 15, 16, 14 and 21. I did 3 days of my core/ST, got a massage on Thursday and took naps on 4 of the days. A couple ice baths in there also helped keep me feeling pretty good. The highlights of the week definitely have to be the 10x mile repeats and breaking my old course record at the Cactus Cha Cha Trail race out at the White Tank Mountains by over a minute :)

The Cha Cha trail races are really fun and something different than the typical road races every weekend. With all the trails we have in AZ I'm surprised we don't have more trail races. The one yesterday (7 mile course) challenges you a lot, especially with all the rocky sections, technical downhill and a huge hill around mile 4 of the race! Afterward they have good food (especially the breakfast burritos), a raffle with tons of prizes and awesome awards that are really unique, basically a piece of flagstone with a Cactus statue on top of it with an engraved piece of metal, etc. Mom came to cheer me on and then we went to have breakfast with some friends afterward; fun times! :)

Following friends and watching the LIVE feed of the Ironman world championships yesterday ignited so many emotions in me. My eyes welled up with tears many times, feeling excited and proud to see how well they finished, feeling downright inspired to GO to Kona and race like I've always wanted to, feeling very sad and horrible for withdrawing from the event and lastly, feeling motivated and determined to race to the best of MY ability in 4 weeks when I toe the line in NYC. Commentary from Paula Newby Fraser resonated with me when she talked about so many athletes who go into their big event with a "first or failure" mentality and therefore they lose site of the love of what they do and the enjoyment they get from it. It's exactly what I've been dealing with in regards to my marathon.

What I (and anyone) has to remember is that you train and work very hard for so many months and on race day, it's time to let it all flow and come together. The marathon is unique in that it's more about where your own personal fitness is, and not necessarily starting the race saying "I'll stay with her". Unless you are in world record shape, there is never a guarantee you can stay with any specific person; they may blow up and race too slow and in general it's not smart to base YOUR race plan on someone else. You have to control what you can and not worry about what's out of your control. Yes, there is something to be said for RACING others, because why else go do it? However you have to stay within yourself and what you are prepared for because for example, why race the first half much faster than you are able to run for the whole race?

Anyway, this week I'll run around 90 miles and for workouts, I have a day of mile repeats, a day with a longer run plus fast 400's at the end and then on Sunday I'll do my closest simulation of a race as possible. i.e. exact pre-race foods, outfit, shoes, etc. I'll also be doing it at specific paces to really see where my fitness lies and if I can hit the splits I want to hit to get an indication of what I can hold for the marathon...should be a good week.

Pics: From Cactus Cha Cha

Quote for today: "The surest way not to fail is to determine to succeed."- Richard B. Sheridan

10x1 mile, Homemade granola/protein bars + running HAPPY :)

2010-10-07T10:30:00.003-07:00

I'm so extremely happy and proud of myself for my workout this morning. I did 10x1 mile out on the same road where I did 8x1 mile 2 weeks ago, and I felt pretty darn good :) I had a much more positive attitude toward the workout and although I knew it would challenge me, I thought about how confident and excited I'd be AFTERward if I hit my times. I definitely hit my goal of running all of them in 5:35 or faster (except one against the headwind, which I hit in 5:36 and then proceeded to run as fast as I could on the last one to make up for it, lol) :) I had two minutes jog recovery between each and my times were 5:35, :32, :31, :27, :29, :28, :34, :30, :36 and :24. I drank acai pomegranate coconut water after each 2 that I did and after the 6th I ate a Jet Blackberry gel. I think I'll stick with using my GU Brew for the marathon because I think the coconut water is too thick and concentrated for my stomach to handle when running hard. It's great for long bike rides but not great for my running it seems. I also am trying out a different food to eat before the marathon because I just think toast/bagels are too heavy for me and take too long to digest. During the 10 miler I think my bagel was still in my stomach and it made me feel sick during the race. I've heard a lot of athletes who eat rice or cream of rice cereal the morning before, so I tried about 1/4 cup of rice this morning with honey and I reallllly liked it! I'll try a bit more before my race on Sat and my long run Sunday and see how I respond but this morning it seemed great.

Yesterday I FINALLY went to the grocery store and got all the ingredients I needed to make some homemade granola protein bars that I've had a recipe for, for ummmm maybe two years?! LOL I have been meaning to make them and I came across the recipe again the other day so I finally did it and OH.MY.GOSH. they are so good I'm calling them my "Heaven" bars :) They are made with natural peanut butter, honey, bit of vanilla extract, rolled oats, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, cashews, raw almonds, unsweetened coconut and dates. DELISH. One more thing I'll for sure be selling at my bakery someday...:)

After my race on Sunday I was SO down all day Monday...I had an annoying day teaching kindergarten all day and after getting up at 5 to run, teaching all day and then doing my core and ST, I was in a horrible mood and exhausted! I drove home with all my stuff and my boys from staying at mom's after the race on Sunday night and after unloading and unpacking I went to make some tea. On the Yogi tea tags they have cool sayings and I opened mine which read "Appreciate yourself and honor your soul". Then the next day I opened another that read "May your inner self be secure and happy". WOW. Can we say I was meant to read those?! They really made me smile and definitely helped me change my perspective on things, especially with my running. There are so many things with being a professional runner that can get in your head and ruin the enjoyment you get from the sport. Worrying about making money, wondering WHY I fell short of a goal, feeling insecure about body image, etc. aren't going to propel you forward and help you make improvements. If anything, they will tear you down mentally to the point of hating what you do. Thank goodness for my Yogi tea tags because they lifted my spirits and totally turned my mindset around. I'm doing what Brooks tells us all to do....run HAPPY :)

I'm looking forward to my massage later and then Tom Petty concert tonight!

Pics: From the 10 miler. My friend Bill took them for me.

Quote for today: "Those who have easy, cheerful attitudes tend to be happier than those with less pleasant temperaments, regardless of money, ‘making it’, or success." - Dr. Joyce Brothers

Race recap + staying focused and positive

2010-10-03T19:11:00.003-07:00

This is my blog I wrote earlier today on the plane…

I’m sitting here on the plane struggling mentally and physically after my race this morning. Physically, I’m hoping I don’t have to sprint down the aisle to throw up since I had to drink 115 oz. of gross Powerade and water in order to fill my drug testing cup to it’s necessary line. Let’s just say my 5 mile cool down after the race with all the fluid in my stomach was the most painful cool down of my life!

Mentally I’m struggling because I can’t seem to think of any really positive things to come away with from the race. I really wanted to challenge for the win or at least finish in the top 3 yet I was never within spitting distance of the leaders after about the 2nd or 3rd mile at the most. I followed my race plan of staying as relaxed as possible until Summit Ave and then pushing as hard as I could those last few miles to the finish. However as I was slowly catching Jen Rhines who was in 3rd, two girls behind me were hunting me down. One passed me with about a mile and half left (Alissa) and I tried to go with her for a little while, both of us passing Jen, and then as we got to the 9th mile I knew I needed to totally put the hammer down. I kept digging deep and running as strong as I could. As we made the turn to the final downhill to the finish I was sprinting as hard as I could but the other girl behind me (Meghan) passed me right before the finish line.

My time 55:22, is relatively good for the very uphill course yet far from the 54:38 I ran at Cherry Blossom in 2009. The weather was very cold and my upper thighs were practically numb. I wore a fleece headband and gloves along with my CEP compression socks and I still felt pretty cold. It gave me a good reminder for what NYC will feel like though, possibly even colder! 5th place at a National Championships isn’t horrible, yet I’m just not satisfied. No, I didn’t taper for it and NYC is my focus right now, yet I’d feel so much better if I had at least held off the two women who beat me at the end by only a few seconds. I know I ran as hard as I could those last couple miles and my 10th mile was a 5:15 and my last little bit (course was a bit long) was at 5 min pace, so at least I didn’t completely fall apart. Beating myself up about it and being down definitely doesn’t help me when moving forward with training this week and with it being my FIRST ever week hitting 100 miles, I need to get excited and look forward to a great race in NYC in 5 weeks! :0) It’s easier said than done though, so I’m hoping by Tuesday I’ll feel better….At least it's nice to come home to people who love me and think I raced awesome no matter what :)

A couple good things over the weekend were: good weather (no rain or severe wind) and I was able to see and talk with my sponsor from MarathonGuide.com. He called me the night before the race too, which was really nice to hear from another person who believes in my abilities. It felt good to wear his logo proudly during the race and talk to him about everything afterward. Another weird thing is that the results have me being from New York! That’s definitely wrong and I’m pretty sure it’s because my agent lives in NY and she registered me. I like showing my AZ pride though and I tried to get it changed but they didn’t do it in time ☹

I’m sub teaching tomorrow and having an easy, short day of running plus my core/ST and then the week gets cranking with some long runs, a race on Saturday and another hard day of mile repeats on Thursday. I think I’ll celebrate on Sunday after my long run with some of my amazing homemade pancakes☺☺

Quote for today: “Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no help at all.”- Dale Carnegie

Cravings, Running slooow, Chomps for Dots and Routine = good results

2010-09-30T19:37:00.003-07:00

Tomorrow I leave for Minnesota for the USA Women’s 10 mile National Championships and I am getting excited! I look forward to the cooler weather, seeing friends, relaxing and resting, RACING ☺ and then hopefully watching the marathon that starts about one hour after my race starts. Should be a fun and fast weekend! ☺ If you want to watch the races LIVE online, go to: http://www.runnerspace.com/USARunningCircuit

They will be streaming races all morning!

Lately I have had intense cravings for many things I am not allowing myself to eat right now: potato chips, my homemade popcorn, donuts, etc. Running by Bashas every morning and smelling their donuts being fried doesn’t help either! Haha. The one thing I’ve been daydreaming about EVERY single run is Crumbs Bakery in NYC. I cannot wait to go there again after the race! ☺ Instead of giving into these things I am trying to eat other things to satisfy the cravings. I think wanting chips and popcorn means I want salt and some fat, so I eat a baked potato with salt and pepper and olive oil or something like that. It definitely tastes good and is a bit healthier so that’s good ☺ It just makes me SO excited for after the marathon when I can spend a full week indulging and enjoying things I haven’t eaten in a long time. So far it’s been 45 days of no sweets, junk food, etc. and like 65 days of no alcohol!

One thing I have noticed about my training during this marathon stint is that my easy/aerobic days are definitely SLOWER than they have ever been. I tend to run around 20-30 seconds slower per mile than I used to during marathon training phases. It’s probably because most of my days are singles and this is the highest mileage I have ever done for so many weeks in a row. As long as I hit the times I want to hit on my long runs and hard workouts, I have plenty of confidence in my fitness. I just allow my body to run how it wants to on my easier days because if I constantly push the pace I know I’ll get injured or not run as fast as I want to on my hard days.

Dots are some of my favorite candies that I am not able to eat right now, so I decided to put 2 of each flavor of my GU chomps in little snack bags for when I am really craving some sugary treat. So I have Cranberry Apple, Watermelon, Strawberry and Blueberry Pomegranate Chomps ready to enjoy when I feel the craving for candy. At least the Chomps have some Amino acids, vitamins, no food dyes and better ingredients than Dots, HA!

Lately my body wakes me up around 5 am every morning, even if my alarm is set for a slightly different time. It’s amazing how fast our bodies get into a routine and must want to stay in a regular routine, hence wanting to wake up around the same time. Two big training times in my life when I had big breakthroughs (Fall 2004 XC season at Duke and winter training 2008-09 before 4 minute Marathon PR at PF Changs marathon) were times when I was in a very regular routine. I tended to go to bed and wake up around the same time every day, even on weekends. I didn’t really change my bedtime or wake up time by more than 30 minutes or so, and I ate very similar foods each day so I knew how my body responded before workouts, recovering, etc. If anyone wants to figure out an additional way to improve their fitness or have a major breakthrough, I’d recommend getting into a routine like I just mentioned and really try to stick with it. I think you will feel better day-to-day, stay healthy, prevent sicknesses and see positive results in your goal race!

Pic: Cool pic from Cabo with a full moon over the beach ☺

Quote for today: Enthusiasm – the sustaining power of all great action."- Samuel Smiles

Big week, course record + first "A" race of 2010 :)

2010-09-26T16:32:00.003-07:00

Well, the Tom Petty/ZZ Top concert we were going to go to tonight has been postponed due to Tom Petty having a throat infection :(..sooo who knows when it/if will be re-scheduled but now I'm relaxing at home drinking some yummy iced coffee and will be in bed around my usual time instead of in downtown Phoenix all night, lol ;)

This past week was a super challenging week with 4 hard days, a total of 91 miles and 21.5 hours of total training! Yesterday I raced the Moon Valley Grasshopper Bridge 5k and had a great time. I saw some of my friends, hung out after the race for the nice award ceremony and enjoyed good food and drinks compared to what you get after most races :) I wanted to race pretty much all out and see what kind of time I could get, hoping for well under 17 minutes even though I hadn't tapered at all for it. I ended up in no mans land a little ways off from the lead guys and couldn't quite surge enough to hang off the back of their pack. The course measured a bit long (3.16 according to my Garmin)...yes it may seem a bit weird to note an extra .06 but that could be a 20 second difference in a 5k! I probably just didn't run the tangents perfectly because it's a USATF certified course but anyway, my watch says my splits were 5:27, 5:20, 5:28 with the last bit at 4:51 pace :). My chip time was 16:56, almost 2 minutes faster than the course record and 9 seconds faster than any 5k I have run this year, so I'll take it. Paul Ruckel did a great job organizing the race and part of the course was on grass and had flags all over like a cross country race, with music in the background; lots of fun! All the proceeds from the race go toward the Phoenix Childrens Hospital so it's also for a great cause.

I'm feeling pretty good and looking forward to this week with nothing super hard until my first "A" race of this year, on Sunday morning in St. Paul, Minnesota. It's the USA Women's 10 Mile National Championship and my first USA Champs race of the year. I'm looking forward to it because it's a big weekend for racing. They also host the USA Men's Marathon Championships, USA Men's and Women's Master's Marathon Champs. It should be a fun weekend and to be quite honest I'm looking forward to being in a place with a high of 40 degrees cooler than the record heat we've been having here LOL :) I'm not tapering my volume for this race but I'm definitely toning down my intensity so my legs have some spunk come Sunday morning! It will be great to see where my fitness is 5 weeks out from the marathon. I've been working harder than I ever have before a marathon so I think Sunday will show me if it's working, especially if I have a fantastic race at the end of a 90 mile week!

Pic: Paul Ruckel and I yesterday at the race.

Quote for today: "You can’t hit a home run unless you step up to the plate. You can’t catch a fish unless you put your line in the water. You can’t reach your goals if you don’t try."- Kathy Seligman

Watermelon Chomps!, 4:54 in a Skirt :), Triple Sports + 8x1 mile

2010-09-23T10:04:00.004-07:00

I received my GU Watermelon Chomps in the mail yesterday and I can't rave about these enough! My excitement literally made me rip open a bag right after UPS delivered them, and I ate a few while sitting in my freezing cold ice bath. They are so delicious and I enjoyed the rest of the bag this morning before my hard workout. As soon as they are available (I believe Oct. 1st), go get yourself some and I promise you will love them! :)-

Tuesday night I raced a mile on the track at Scottsdale Community College and I had a lot of fun! I raced in my blue Brooks skirt too, and finished 2nd overall and 1st female, in 4:54.8. I arrived at the track early after doing some fun shopping at Triple Sports and I decided to do my 8x200 before the race, and it felt good to run in my spikes and get my legs turned over. I think they all were 37 or faster so nothing crazy but a good pace, with 200 jog in between. However lesson learned: Don't drink an iced vanilla latte from Coffee Bean at 5 pm and go do a workout and race a little bit later...you won't feel very good LOL!

I walked out of Triple Sports with a big bag full of awesome goodies and of course another moment where I felt extremely grateful for everything my sponsors do for me. I got some soy protein, insulated water bottles, Triple Sports logo water bottles, socks, goggles and a case (since I seem to always scratch mine up and ruin them!). Polar insulated water bottles are my savior here in Phoenix. They really work wonders and definitely keep your drinks frozen or colder, for longer. Now they are making them with cool designs on the outside or funky patterns, so when they come out with leopard maybe someday???...I'll have to buy every single one I can find :) Whenever I am in Triple Sports I always get excited to race and inspired to be a better athlete. Therefore going before my mile race got me in the right mindset to go run fast!

My body feels very tired these days and last night I started to debate my planned workout for this morning, kinda trying to create excuses why I should change it or just run easy. I talked myself into a better mindset and planned to just "try" what I had planned and see how it would go. I instantly felt better this morning when I opened the back door to a nice chilly breeze outside, instead of the thick warm air we had for a couple days. I drove a few miles out to where I knew I'd have a one mile, flat, well-paved stretch to do my mile repeats. I knew there would be a decent amount of traffic with people going to work but overall it wasn't too bad. The semis were nice and moved over a ton for me and the 25-30 feet high tractor type things driving by didn't run me over, LOL...(I've never seen something so big driving on a regular road hahaha!)

Anyway, I did the most mile repeats I've ever done in my life (8) and ran them all right near where I wanted to (starting at 5:38 and getting down to 5:24) I had two minutes rest between each and I'm really proud of myself for not only doing this workout in the first place, but also doing it on the road, because doing something like this on the track definitely helps with pace a little bit, because you can check at every 400, etc. I knew I needed to do it on surfaces similar to my racing environment and this morning it was great to practice that, especially with the headwind heading north right at me for every other one! Each time I finished two of them, I had my water bottle with GU Raspberry electrolyte brew and after 6 of them I ate a Vanilla Gingerbread (YUM) gel, and I think it helped me for the last two I had to do! All in all, I'm extremely happy about doing this workout and I know my fitness is finally coming along. However I wouldn't have had the confidence boost and happiness I have right now if I had bailed on the workout. Sometimes you have to do what you DON'T want to do to really see where you are fitness-wise.

Pic: My little baby boys with my new Watermelon Chomps! HAHAHAHA..they always want to attack the UPS guy when he delivers my GU boxes :)

Quote for today: "You can’t fly a kite unless you go against the wind and have a weight to keep it from turning a somersault. The same with man. No man will succeed unless he is ready to face and overcome difficulties and is prepared to assume responsibilities."- William J.H. Boetcker

88 miles, 20 hours of training + Racing on the track tomorrow!

2010-09-20T10:59:00.003-07:00

Yesterday I finished up my highest week of mileage since exactly one year ago, which is funny because it was not planned in any way and I had to look at my 2009 running log to see when the last time I ran a pretty high mileage week. Yesterday I wrapped up the week with a total of 88 miles and almost 20 hours of training! woo hoo! The next few weeks are going to be the most consecutive high mileage weeks I have ever done, hitting 90, 90, 100, and 90 before my taper! I used to take about one day off per week and I don't do that anymore; instead I run one day really easy but still a pretty long run, or one short really easy run. I take a day off here and there for traveling or after a few really hard weeks, yet not once per week anymore. I worked really hard this weekend and this morning I definitely felt it on my 13 mile run. I ran very easy and didn't pay attention to my pace because I could tell my body needed a mindless morning run :)

Saturday I woke up nervous, frustrated, angry and negative. Right before I have to do hard workouts by myself super early in the morning, I tend to ask myself "WHY am I doing this all alone?!"..yet I don't really have any other option right now, so I spend my time waking up, drinking my coffee and warming up talking myself into a more positive, upbeat mindset, HA. After warming up, I ran 10x1k around a loop near the house, all in 3:20 or faster with about 90 seconds recovery. They felt challenging toward the end yet never incredibly strained; I had 100% confidence I'd hit my goal times...it was just a matter of wanting to be DONE and have a smile on my face, lol :) I did my drills and cooled down barefoot in the park. It felt so good to be done. Yesterday I woke up after struggling to fall asleep for almost 2 hours Sat night! I definitely felt half awake the first few miles of my long run, which showed when my splits hovered around 7 minute pace, yikes. I quickly dropped the pace and then really pushed my last few miles to end up averaging 6:45's for the 19 mile run. Later I did my core and ST work and enjoying lounging around most of the day to recover!

Tomorrow evening I am racing an open mile race on the track at Scottsdale Community College and I am pretty darn excited :) Although I know my body is tired, I look forward to doing something new and getting my legs turned over. I'll do a run tomorrow morning, go do the race in the evening, do some fast 200's after the race, cool down and my total for the day will be 15 miles. The rest of the week I have some challenging workouts and another race on Saturday, but I know with this higher mileage and 99% of my running all single runs, I'm bound to feel fatigued. I'll reap my rewards on November 7th :)

Quote for today: "It’s faith in something and enthusiasm for something that makes life worth living." -Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr

Naan, Hills, ST works + LOVE my sponsors

2010-09-17T10:27:00.005-07:00

Gosh it's been a busy week filled with many ups and downs. It started well on Monday when I spent some hours doing what I love most besides running...being in the kitchen :) I baked the most amazing delicious Naan bread from scratch and I proceeded to eat all of it within 3 days, lol. I LOVE the Naan bread from Trader Joes yet at almost 4 dollars per bag and only 6 pieces per bag I decided to find a recipe that sounded good and try to make it. It turned out super yummy and next time I'll experiment with different flours such as whole wheat and maybe use honey as a sweetener instead of the white sugar it called for.

In my 5th year at Duke when I decided to pursue my running and take a stab at triathlons in my immediate post-college life, I thought about what I want to do after my peak years as a pro athlete are done. I love to eat and drink fabulous food and baking and cooking for others truly makes me so happy. If I can make something that others enjoy, I feel like I accomplished something great. Therefore, in addition to my passion for running I decided to pursue my passion for food and drink and eventually open my own bakery and coffee shop. Here in the Phoenix area, very few fantastic bakery and coffee shops exist. They may have a few things that are good, yet no one has to-die-for baked goods and coffee drinks (good coffee as in made like the Italians make it!). So someday down the road I'll have my bakery plus a big patio for people to bring their dogs and I can give all the dogs my dog treats I bake from scratch as well :) I can't wait!!

I had a couple stressful days dealing with some car issues yet thank goodness my baby is fine and driving well again :) I also taught at Mountain Pointe one day this week and it was good until the last hour of the day when I had a "I wish I were at home with my dogs" moment. Disrespectful kids are not fun to deal with and although I love teaching HS because I can be a smart ass right back to them, it's just not fun to deal with. I have better things to do with my days thank you very much. Thank goodness my training literally prevents me from doing much subbing these days. Running on average 15 miles per day isn't conducive to being at a school by 7:15 in the morning. I'm not getting up at 4 to run in the pitch black, rush to get to school, etc...you can catch my drift..;) my college coach always told me I worked too much and it hindered my running. Every single day I remind myself that I don't want to look back and wonder....like I do with my college years that were way too busy with not enough sleep.

Anyway, one day this week I drove to my old neighborhood in north scottsdale and did a challenging run with tons of hills. I visualized the bridges in the NYC course and powered up the long hills as hard and efficient as I could. The past couple days I've had soreness from the workout and I'm so happy!! I never seem to get sore from my workouts so I'm loving this feeling that I'm strengthening some weakness I obviously have right now :)

Speaking of weaknesses, I used to get stabbing pains in my hips and glutes late in long runs and in the late miles of my marathons. I started doing so many stabilizing exercises for my glutes and hips along with my core and strength training (ST) and it obviously works because I don't get the pains anymore!! It's such a terrific feeling when you actually see results and know that the work you put in actually benefits you in some way. :)

I got a big shipment of some awesome goodies from GU the other day and now I am set for all my racing and training through the marathon. I just love their products so much and I'm so incredibly grateful for all that they do for me. They are coming out with a NEW Chomps flavor too!! WATERMELON!! I cannot wait to try them; I have a feeling I may have a new favorite flavor soon :p My main sponsor, Marathon Guide.com I cannot thank enough. They help me so much with my day to day training and without them I would have to sub teach or work another job many hours per week. Simply put, I cannot do what I do without their help :) Triple Sports helps me so incredibly much, especially with all of my triathlon needs. I obviously buy different things from their store because they have such a huge selection of nutrition products, running clothes, etc. yet when it comes to my tri needs, I can't thank them enough. They really are the best tri store in AZ so if you ever need great stuff from great people, go see them! Endurance Rehab continues to support me as well! For instance the other day I dropped in when I was up there and needed someone to look at a calf problem I've been having and Shane helped me before his patients were supposed to be coming in for the day. I really can't thank them enough!

Pic: My Naan bread I made and a random hilarious picture I found from a friend LOL :p

Quote for today: "All our dreams can come true – if we have the courage to pursue them."- Walt Disney

Spirit of the Marathon, Eating Well + Am I fit??

2010-09-12T13:08:00.003-07:00

Yesterday I watched the movie "Spirit of the Marathon" for the first time and it was so inspiring and made me proud to be a marathoner. It was made a few years ago and followed about 6 runners, both professional and recreational, before the 2005 Chicago marathon. I often get so wrapped up in my own race that I don't enjoy the journey or the race itself, until I cross the finish line, haha. The movie made me realize there is so much more to the marathon than simply the finish time on the clock. You can train your butt off for many months leading up to the race and anything can happen on race day.

Watching people train and get so excited about running made me so proud to be among them. Running a marathon is something a very small percentage of all people in the world will ever do, and it truly is an unbelievable event. I'm a fan of anyone who runs, whether it's a 5k, half marathon or marathon and people who find the joy in it truly make me smile; my heart reaches out to them when I see them run one for the first time, because I remember the exact feelings I had. It's very inspiring to be a part of the running community and I'm so extremely happy that running, road races and prize money for the pros have not been affected by the economy. Running actually continues to be on the rise and I'm so grateful for the increased participation because people are not letting tough economic times affect their health and joy they derive from running.

It's been 27 days of no sweets, alcohol, desserts, junk food, etc. and I'm doing well with it! It really hasn't been too hard. I have had a couple days where I really crave some potato chips or a cupcake or something, haha, but it eventually passes :) It feels good to be eating really healthy and being strong with any temptations I have.

This morning my 10k race at Horse Lovers Park in Scottsdale went alright, not super great. I decided to do the race rather than a workout on my own and I ran right around my goal pace (ran 5:39 average and goal was 5:40). However it felt pretty challenging and two years ago I ran the same race in 34:16 and this year I ran around 35:39 I believe. (course was about 6.3 mi) I can't help but wonder if I'm in shape right now?! 48 hours before the race I did an 18 mile run and yesterday I ran 10 miles and did my strength training, so I'm sure I'm not rested at all. I know not being rested and tapered affects how I race but it's still annoying to see my times so much faster two years ago! In the midst of higher mileage and hard training it's hard to know if I'm fit.

I looked at some workouts I did before Twin Cities last year and they were crazy fast runs, yet probably way too close to the marathon, hence why I was done like burnt toast for that race! For instance a 26 mile run 3 weeks out, with one mile warm up, 24 miles averaging 6:08 pace and one mile cool down...that's faster than my NYC marathon pace back in 2008! That's the beauty of training plans....sometimes they work out perfectly or better than expected and sometimes you train way too hard for too long and your body doesn't paint the masterpiece you have been dreaming of....I'm determined to make my one and only marathon in 2010 a fantastic one :)

Quote for today: "Do not take life too seriously. You will never get out of it alive." - Hubbard, Elbert

Not Afraid...+ Unconditional Commitment

2010-09-10T11:24:00.004-07:00

Eminem's song "Not Afraid" always gets me pumped up and makes me feel like I can do anything I set my mind to..maybe it's his anger in the song, or the lyrics...whatever it is, it always gets me fired up. Personal trauma in my life lately leaves me laying in my bed in the dark at 5am, not wanting to get up to train. I feel empty inside of any motivation to be great, to go run myself into the ground. But this morning when I quickly checked my email at 5 am, my heart rate went probably about as high as my last VO2 max test...I got some news that just got me ANGRY. My 18 mile run this morning consisted of many things racing through my head, minor panic attacks with me feeling like my heart was in my throat and overall I got home with a new sense of how I am going to live my life.

No more doubting myself, my talent, my hard work or my vision of how great I can be. There are going to be people who do things that hurt me, anger me and betray me, but in the end I still have to take care of ME and those that I love, unconditionally. I LOVE my running and I have to protect it, not let any one take it away from me. I have to stay unconditionally committed to it. Most people have no clue how to stay unconditionally committed to someone or something. They think the grass is greener or they just plain give up!

My future goals and ideas that I have for my life have been shot down by more people than I care to mention. I also tend to get so scared of failure that I try to perfect anything and everything to make sure I DON'T fail. However anything I have set my mind to I have accomplished and I have to remind myself of that....No more being afraid, and it's time to get back on the path I have for my life and never, ever, ever waver from it...Whether it's running, triathlon or both, I will be one of the best in the world. Period. M, D, S, W, W and B, this is for you...

Quotes for today: "If I were asked to give what I consider the single most useful bit of advice for all humanity, it would be this: Expect trouble as an inevitable part of life, and when it comes, hold your head high. Look it squarely in the eye, and say, 'I will be bigger than you. You cannot defeat me.' "- Ann Landers

"Difficulties are meant to rouse, not discourage. The human spirit is to grow strong by conflict."- William E. Channing

A Look Back + HOME tomorrow!! :)

2010-09-05T18:18:00.003-07:00

Gosh where do I begin..I've been in NYC since August 11th and I cannot believe 26 days has already gone by! Time really does fly and although I've had great experiences with my racing here and had a ton of fun with my sister and my mom when she was here, I'm definitely ready to go home (in case I haven't made that clear enough the past two weeks, LOL). Training this past week went well. I turned a really unmotivated and down attitude into a pretty positive and tough one to get through my hardest week of training thus far. My mileage hit about 82 and I ran my hardest workout I've done in a very very long time, yesterday. I did it on the treadmill and it hurt so much more than I expected! I was actually nervous for it and afraid I wouldn't be able to do it, but I got through it without falling off the back of the treadmill, lol. I warmed up 3 miles, did 5 miles at 5:42 pace and then cooled down. Phew it was HARD. This morning I told myself to just run my 17 mile long run relaxed and pick it up at the end if I felt strong. I guess running along the Hudson River made me feel good and excited because I averaged 6:47's for the whole run, with some miles quicker and a few just a little slower, yet all well under 7 minute pace :) I did my core and strength work later in the day, took a great ice bath and my body is feeling good and ready for my complete day off tomorrow!

Two things that have really helped me stay injury free all this time away from home without any massages or treatment from my physical therapists: my foam roller from Triple Sports and my ice baths! I got one of the grid foam rollers made by Trigger Point at Triple Sports and I really like it! I have typically used a regular foam roller but the grid ones seem to work better :) Taking ice baths each week help so much too!

I'm proud of myself for many things I've done while I've been in NYC. Some of them are:

1- I did my core routine 3-4 times per week. I brought my exercise ball and pump, strength band, ankle weights etc. and I used them and stuck with my routine! It takes about 70 minutes to do so I'm so happy I stayed dedicated and got it done!

2- I made sure I stretched well after every run and core session, just like I do at home. I didn't rush through it to go do other things.

3- I slept a decent amount every night and never had any major "partying" nights or staying up super late.

4- I trained through having a sickness and managed to eat well and take care of myself to prevent it from getting any worse.

5- Although I had extremely hard days and didn't want to do certain hard workouts, I did all of them and accomplished every goal of each workout.

6- I stayed under my budget while I was here...no extra shopping or spending money on things I didn't need, haha :)

Anyway, tomorrow is time to go back to AZ and I can't wait to get there and get back in my regular routine for the next 9 weeks until the marathon! I'll start sub-teaching again each week and work super hard to get as fit as I possibly can. Time to focus and keep my eye on the prize.....

Quote for today: "Try not to do too many things at once. Know what you want, the number one thing today and tomorrow. Persevere and get it done."- George Allen

Taking nothing for granted + barefoot running! :)

2010-09-03T10:58:00.009-07:00

Well, only two more full days here in NYC and then it's time to head back to AZ. I've been counting down the days and hours until I leave yet I'm very happy I put myself in this unfamiliar situation and I have successfully managed to run (and win) my races at pretty good paces. I've also met some super nice people along the way and I'm very grateful for that. Exploring a little bit more of NYC than usual was fun and running in new parks and in different areas of Central Park has been refreshing. I'm so happy I found some soft surfaces the past week! On Tuesday I forgot to mention that my cool down at the track was actually on the inside of the track on the artificial turf, BAREFOOT! I ran a mile and a half without ANY pain in either foot and it was really exciting. The last time I ran barefoot on the grass was in February and it hurt my foot the whole time. I have always done some sort of barefoot running (on grass only) since I was in high school. Whether it was strides or my cool down, my teammates and I did it and I definitely think it helps strengthen your feet and ankles; it's fun too!

During my run this morning I started to think about where I was a year ago. I couldn't even walk after runs because my heel/plantar fascia hurt so bad the minute I took my running shoes off. I tried so many things to get it better and here I am now with almost never any pain. This week has been a bit of a mental challenge for me in respect to my workouts and having the motivation to run really hard. I never really mind going for relaxing runs yet this week the hard days felt like elephants weighing on my shoulders. The biggest reason is probably because I want to be at home, back with everything and everyone that I love. I also don't have Samantha around me during the day to hang out and talk to, etc.= too much time for me to sit, think and over analyze dumb stuff! :) However this morning I tried to push any negative energy out of my head and truly appreciate where I am with my running, not beat myself up about little things and not take a pain-free run for granted! A few months ago I debated quitting the sport entirely because of the unbearable pain and I HATED the fact I couldn't go for a run and feel "normal".

I always put so much pressure on myself to achieve certain goals or dreams. I tend to do well under pressure yet managing it can be challenging; you can't let it affect you way before a big event! In college my coach always joked with me that I didn't ever live in the moment and focus on the season we were currently in. Instead I thought way down the road about future seasons and goals. Was it a way to relieve some pressure from my expectations I had for myself at that time? Or to distract myself from all the fear I had of "failing" and letting my team down? I talk about some of this stuff in the recent Running Times issue. My friend actually found it online for me so here is the link if you are interested: http://runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=20503

With my hard workouts and races coming up, my goal is to focus on the current day I'm and not worry about way down the road. Extra stress and worries will likely hinder my performances. It's always good to think of future goals and to have some sort of direction and organization but I need to redirect myself sometimes. Most of all, I'm so happy to be running, injury free and pretty darn fit. I know all the hard work WILL pay off, just like it always has. Therefore as long as I get the training done, have fun, and prioritize well....I'll stand at any starting line knowing my fitness won't fail me and my mental toughness will get me through any rough patches I have :) Like one coach used to say "Sally, you're tough as NAILS!", haha :):)

Pic: From Oregano's Pizza Bistro...one of my fave restaurants in AZ that I can't wait to go to when I get home! :p

Quote for today: "May we never let the things we can’t have, or don’t have, or shouldn’t have, spoil our enjoyment of the things we do have and can have. As we value our happiness let us not forget it, for one of the greatest lessons in life is learning to be happy without the things we cannot or should not have." - Richard L. Evans

Changing things up + FREE 50 meter outdoor pool!!

2010-08-31T12:58:00.003-07:00

I was dreading my workout this morning...until I decided last night to change it up and make it a little more enjoyable, and beneficial! I had planned a 4 mile workout at 5:29 pace but then I realized that with the near 100 degree temps here in NYC today, the temps in the morning were guaranteed to be similar to AZ, but WITH humidity, especially at 8:30 am, around the time I'd be starting. I decided to do 4 miles worth of work at a faster pace (8x800 with 200 run recovery) all in 2:40 or faster. I immediately felt better last night after changing my mind and I also know that I need the faster pace work, so I benefit mentally and physically! :)

I realized right as the subway doors were about to shut "CRAP I forgot my water bottles and electrolyte drink at the apartment!"...I decided I'd just have to use my empty bottle in my bag and fill it when I got to Van Cortlandt/Manhattan College track. However I had my GU recovery brew in the bottom, waiting to be mixed with cold water after my workout. I poured my recovery powder into my empty GU chomps little bag, put a rubber band around it and then used the bottle for water during my workout, haha. The workout went pretty well and I ran them all in 2:40, a couple in 2:41, which made me mad, so on the last one I ran 2:38 :) I came home, showered, ate, rested a bit and just did my core and strength work. Pretty proud of myself for sticking to my routine when I'm tired, can't breathe out of my nose, coughing up shtufff, etc. :)

Before I started my warm up I wandered around looking for a drinking fountain and stumbled upon the Van Cortlandt pool. I found the entrance, talked to the girls working and they told me it's open for only three more days!! It's FREE, OUTSIDE and it's long course!! I think my Splish Awesome Girl is finally going to get some use while I'm here :) I'm pretty sure the pool in Central Park is still open and it's also long course, but I am not sure. I'll find out and then decide which one to go to.

Have I mentioned I'm excited to go back to AZ? LOL...the official hours countdown has started...146 :):)

Pics: From XC at VCP this past Sunday

Quote for today: "Be miserable. Or motivate yourself. Whatever has to be done, it’s always your choice." -Wayne Dyer

Silly Sally...rookie move ;)

2010-08-29T19:13:00.003-07:00

Racing cross country this morning was incredibly fun...until about 2.25 miles into the 4 mile race. My right heel started to feel like it had a flame burning it...the blister forming hurt so bad..I wanted to stop and rip my shoes off, lol! Definitely a rookie move to wear new spikes that I hadn't broken in at ALL..oops :/ Other than the quarter size blister that developed on my heel, the race was super fun and I ran pretty fast considering the GIANT hills and the 80+ degree super warm and sunny weather. I finished in 23:28, first female and 8th overall. It really cracks me up when a guy sees me about to pass him and he either speeds up or just plain cuts me off so bad that I almost fall. Today I was in no mood to deal with it again so when a guy looked over at me before we entered the woods and stepped RIGHT in front of me, I jumped to his left and said "If you're gonna cut me off, give me some room!" and sped off. The guy running right near me started laughing, HAHAHA...seriously what the heck? If a woman is going to pass you, get over it. :) I REALLY like Van Cortlandt though and I'll for sure head up there this week for some runs or track workouts at Manhattan College track right next to it.

Anyway, Sam got me a big band aid from the medical people and I managed to get in a cool down before we hit up Dunkin' for some coffee and hopped on the subway to get back to Manhattan. I took an ice bath afterward, ate a little something and then did my core and strength work. I've enjoyed relaxing all day and catching up on my favorite TV shows tonight :)

I realized after adding up my mileage from this past week that I had meant to run 75 miles but I must've miscalculated because I only ran 71...oh well...this week will be 80 which is plenty, especially for my last week here in NYC. I'm looking forward to having a week without any racing, yet I'm really nervous for my track workouts on Tuesday and Saturday. I hope they go well and I hope my blister is healed by the time I have to run tomorrow morning!

My sickness is still present, and has started to move up to my throat/jaw area to the point where I don't really like to talk, and when I try to fall asleep at night it's really hard. grrrr GO AWAY!! :)

One week from RIGHT NOW I'll be all packed up and ready to go HOOOOOME to AZZZZeeee :):)!!!! One week from tomorrow morning I'll fly high in the sky back to my loves and all my fave people..and good Mexican food for crying out loud! ;)

Pic: mom and I in the Hamptons at the beach..I miss her :(

Quote for today (LOVE it): "Undertake something that is difficult; it will do you good. Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow."- Ronald E. Osborn

XC in Van Cortlandt tomorrow! + Letting go of one dream to pursue another,...for now

2010-08-28T15:11:00.005-07:00

I'm in my final days of being in NYC and until the 6th I'll be staying in Manhattan, steps from the south entrance to Central Park. It's a perfect location for running, grabbing any groceries I need, subway stations, the bank, etc. I'll be doggie sitting while I'm here, and training of course. Other than that, lots of relaxing and counting down the days until I can see MY doggies! :)

Tomorrow is my final NYRR race while I'm here in NYC and it's a 4 mile Cross Country race at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx. I did a run there this morning while also cheering on my sister and her teammates while they did their pre-season time trial. The last time I ran in VCP was back in Feb. 2006 for the USA XC championships. It felt like just yesterday, which is kinda scary since it was over 4 years ago! I'm looking forward to racing on different terrain and also testing out my new purple Brooks Mach Spikes. I really like running in VCP so I think I'll go there a couple more times before I go back to AZ. The subway ride is not that long and I like running on softer surfaces for longer runs, especially with all the running on cement and asphalt that I've done in the past weeks.

The rest of the week I have hard workouts on Tues and Sat and then a 17 mile long run on Sunday. My first day off in about 3 weeks will be on Monday, the day I leave. My mileage will hit 80 this upcoming week and then I'll go down to 75 the next week and gradually back up again until I hit 100, for the first time ever! I'm looking forward to being able to say I finally hit the triple digits in mileage, lol.

My sickness seems to have hit a plateau. It hasn't gotten worse and the other night I slept 11 hours which I think helped! I'm just happy it's not getting worse. Let's hope I can keep it that way and feel normal again soon...

Well, I officially withdrew from the Ironman World Championships and cancelled my condo reservation. It was extremely hard to do, but once I had my offer from the NYRR regarding the marathon a couple months ago and being that Kona is only 4 weeks prior to the marathon, I chose to go after the marathon. I have big dreams with my running and having a breakthrough marathon time is something I know I have in me. I fully plan to go to Kona in the future and race incredibly fast and strong, yet this year I finally accepted that it's not great timing. If I had two months after Kona to be rested and ready for NYC then I'd do both, but I don't think it's realistic to have a fabulous race at both. After the marathon I look forward to joining a masters swim group in the Phoenix area and making more of an effort to ride with others rather than always suffering solo. I miss rockin' my Splish Awesome Girl bathing suit (looks like Wonder Woman, lol) and getting out and riding Mr. Specialized farther than I drive!! :) Hopefully this great risk of letting go of Kona will result in a rewarding fast race in NYC in November!

Quote for today: "Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission"- Neil Kendall

Sleeeep, stubborn + small pains... but continuing to smile :)

2010-08-26T13:10:00.005-07:00

I'm pretty sure I have bronchitis but I am failing to really do anything about it such as stop running, go to a doctor or get meds. Instead I continue to train, sleep more, drink tea, eat well and hope for the best! It seems to be getting worse though, so if it sticks around as long as I'm in NYC, I'll go see someone right when I get back to AZ. The tea I bought today is super good though and makes my throat feel better. I have NEVER been a tea drinker, except maybe chai tea lattes years ago before I started on coffee :) However my friend Lindsay gave me some sleepytime tea at her house a couple days ago and I put honey in it and I really liked it! Today I bought some honey vanilla chamomile by Celestial Seasonings and I added honey again and it was delicious.

I know that taking a couple days off from running might help but I'm too friggin stubborn and I don't think that only a couple days off from running will really make it go away. Yes, it's me being stubborn..I know. I just don't want to stop running until it literally prevents me from running or if running actually is painful. Yesterday I did my 15 miler averaging 6:50's with my fastest mile being 6:40. I purposely didn't push super hard since I knew I had something going on in my chest, and it was pouring rain for the last 80% of my run. I ran in Liberty State Park again and it was peaceful once again and seeing the fog covering all the buildings in the city was really cool. I am having a little pain in my left foot where my fascia attaches so it seems maybe my body wants to balance me out and give me PF pain in BOTH feet! grrr...I'm hoping massaging it and taking care of it early will prevent it from getting bad. I also have a little thing in my left upper hamstring at the attachment point but I think it's from a lot of walking and sitting yesterday after my 15 miler in the cold. I'm sure with a lot of good stretching it'll ease it's way out :)

Today I did a hilly 12 miler with 12x1 min hard with 1 min off and I averaged 7 min pace for the whole run, with one mile being a 5:53 somewhere in the middle. I felt very strong and besides some coughing I felt good. I did my drills afterward and have been relaxing most of the day. Sam and I took the bus to get bagels at this amazing family owned bagel place a couple miles from her house. They are seriously double the size of any bagel I've ever bought in AZ, haha. I can't wait to have one for dinner with my gnocchi and sweet pepper marinara sauce :p

My training hours that I've been calculating have gone a little something like this the past few weeks...11, 13.3, 16.25, 15.1 and 17.6. With this week being a 75-77 mile week I'm sure my hours will be even higher. I'm in the process of finding a marathon racing shoe because I think the Brooks T6 is a little too minimal for me. I'm pretty sure I'll order the Brooks ST 4 because it has some stability, so we'll see how it fits and feels in a couple weeks!

Despite all the training, being sick and missing home, I'm still managing to do things to make me smile:) Today I was screeching and talking to my baby loves on gmail video chat with my mom, hahahaha. She put them in front of her camera on her computer and they eventually realized my face was on the screen, but not until I started telling them they were going to go on a car ride, get a treat, mommy misses you, etc....that got their heads moving and their ears perked up! I miss them more than words can explain and my heart aches for the damn day I fly home!! I seriously doubt I'll sleep the night before because I'll be so antsy...11 more full days until I head to AZzzzzz :):)

For a nutrition update...I'm doing great with not eating sweets and junk food! Passing on chips, fries and dessert actually feels good and although it's tempting for 20 seconds, I'm much happier not eating it :) After today it will be 10 days of my no drinking/eating junk food/sweets quest...and yes I'll continue to add up the days, ha.

Quote for today: "Where the way is hardest, there go thou: Follow your own path, and let people talk." - Dante

Sick in the City...:(

2010-08-24T15:07:00.003-07:00

UGH...for some reason my body has decided to get some sort of sickness the past couple days and I NEVER get sick :( Maybe it's a combination of more training, slightly less sleep than when I'm at home, staying at different homes, running in different weather, more contact with germs on the subway, busses, etc..who knows, but it's not fun and I'm not sure what I should do. I don't take medicines usually because I don't think they really help and I prefer to take a more natural approach and just let the sickness run it's course. I've been eating and drinking good things that supposedly fight off illnesses but we'll see if it works. I'm supposed to do a 15 mile moderately hard run tomorrow but I will likely take it easier than my 14 miler last week! After I see how it goes and assess how I feel, I'll decide whether to take a day or two off before the race this weekend. UGH this is not fun :(

On a more positive note, I enjoyed a peaceful run this morning in Liberty State Park and I got to see the Statue of Liberty for the FIRST time!! Yes I know, pathetic, considering I've been to NY/NJ probably a dozen times! It was so incredibly cool though and it made me feel so happy and grateful for my life that I have, my amazing friends and family, and my dogs, DUH :):) The park is really pretty and there were a few small trails with softer surfaces so I liked that.

My GU electrolyte drink before each run has been going well and it doesn't bother my stomach on my runs at all, so that's great! When I get back to AZ I'll start experimenting more with different gels and whether to do caffeine or the 2x caffeine :)

Tomorrow I'm looking forward to going out to lunch with my agent and one of my big sponsors, John Elliot from Marathon Guide.com. It'll be nice to see John and get a chance to give him a big THANK YOU for all his support so far this year. I always love talking and meeting up with the wonderful people and companies who help me train day in and day out :)

Off to dinner in Jersey City at a cute little Mexican food place that looks reallllly good! :)

Quote for today: "Be sure to take the most direct route to your dreams. Never take your eyes off your goal, or you will lose course. Never look back in sorrow, or you will trip"- submitted by Joe Brown

Hustlin' Through Harlem!

2010-08-21T16:08:00.004-07:00

Wow, what can I say..this morning I headed to Harlem thinking that my body couldn't possibly ache more than it did at that moment. Everything ached from my hip joints down and all I could think of was an ice bath! :) My sis scouted out the scene and thought she saw a local Ethiopian runner who might give me a run for my money. I had originally thought I could just run sorta easy enough to win but I soon realized about 1/2 a mile into the race I was going to have to hurt if I wanted to win. I hit the first mile way too slow, most likely due to the big hill at the half mile mark, haha. 5:50 (eek) About 100 meters before the mile mark I passed Muliye (the Ethiopian) and she latched onto my heels. I continued to push the pace hard to try and drop her. She stuck around until about the 2 mile mark and from then on I was hustlin' as fast as I could to get to the finish. My miles dropped significantly with the second one being 5:29 and the third 5:13, woo hoo! That makes me happy that I was able to run the race getting faster and faster. At the awards ceremony they said I broke the old course record by 30 seconds, so that was a nice bonus after missing the one at the Bronx Half last weekend :) I loved the course and it went by really fast. NYRR put on another great race and I really like Harlem; it's a cool area of the city. Van Cortlandt XC 4 miler next weekend is my next and last race while I'm here in NY and I cannot wait to get out and do a XC race. This will be my first in a while and my first at Van Cortlandt since I last raced USA XC Nationals there in 2006.

My ice bath felt soooo good after the race...30 pounds of ice and cold water..does a body good :) I'll try to get another one in before the weekend and then another after Van Cortlandt, and I should be good until I get home. I'm looking forward to getting up early tomorrow and hitting the soft surfaces in Central Park for my 10 mile run and strides. The cement and asphalt has really taken a toll on my legs, especially the 14 miler the other day in the warm weather, all on hard surfaces.

My foot has been feeling so great lately. It's not 100% healed but it's a complete turnaround than a few months ago. I'm just so happy it has improved so much and it really makes me love my runs so much more. The biggest thing I think has been staying off my feet more (not teaching everyday, and not much at all obviously all summer), wearing my Birkenstock sandals and also getting back into my training gradually. It gets old not being able to wear whatever shoes I want but being able to run without sharp stabbing pain is priceless :) Now I can only hope it continues to get better and not any worse!

15 more full days until I see my boys....:(:(

Quote for today: "The unfortunate aspect about living life without your own goals is that you may very well reach a point in your life where you will wonder, ‘what would have happened if I had only done'…" -Catherine Pulsifer

Progress, Guzzling GU + Staying Committed :)

2010-08-19T19:26:00.002-07:00

Right now I'm pretty sure my water count is at least a gallon since my run this afternoon. Running a 14 mile run at a pretty hard effort in the 80+ degree heat left me feeling like I had just run in Phoenix, except this was at 3 in the afternoon, not 5 am :) Anyway, I'm really happy to see progress in my training right now. This is my first 14 miler in months and it was one of my moderately hard moderately long runs :) I averaged 6:41 and hit some miles as fast as 6:21. The terrain was also quite hilly so I thought about the bridges in the NYC marathon and how I need to push push push to maintain pace and stay positive, as if I were in the marathon in November...good practice visualizing :) I ran all over Queens and on some bike paths that had quite a bit of shade so I liked that! I got superrr thirsty late in the run so I stopped at a park and quickly drank some nice cold water. I seriously could have stood there guzzling until my belly was bursting but I forced myself to quickly get going again.

One thing I'm starting to do before my runs is to drink about 10 oz of my GU Electrolyte Brew to get my stomach used to it, rather than just start drinking it on only one run per week (long run). I figure the more my body gets used to metabolizing it and using it while I workout, the better I'll do on race day. I'm also going to start practicing eating a gel with caffeine, or perhaps the Jet Blackberry GU flavor with 2x caffeine, during my runs and harder workouts as well. That way I don't have to worry about getting used to a flavor at the last minute.

I'm craving an ice bath right now, so I hope I can get one in this weekend after the Harlem 5k. I never thought I'd like them this much but when little aches and pains start to show up despite all my foam rolling and rope stretching, I know it's time for one! Whole Foods might be selling me quite a few bags of ice on Sat :) If you have never taken one, I highly recommend it, especially after a really hard workout or race, as good prevention, not just treatment when something starts to bother you.

I've decided to start adding up the hours I spend training, stretching, ice bathing, etc. to show myself how hard I work as a professional runner, and before my big races I can look back and see the hundreds of hours I spend to go after my dreams! Lately my weeks have been in the 15 and 16 hour range, and that's with only 55-62 miles per week! I can't imagine what it'll be at 90-100, geez :)

Being totally out of my comfort zone here in Queens and Manhattan has really prepared me for any situation I may come across in my travels in the future. Not having my favorite places to run, my comfy amazing bed, MY DOGS, my brother and his gorgeous house that I live in, my friends, etc. makes it hard to stay motivated every day. However at least I have Sam here and I can continue to help her be ready for school and being a Div 1 athlete. I'm seeing progress day to day though and I know it will all be worth it in a few weeks :) On my little handmade motivation training calendar for these weeks I'm in NYC, I wrote "Wherever you are, there you'll be...still an athlete- get it done!"..when I read this it helps me a lot..I'm so happy I put it on there when I made it a few weeks ago :)

Quote for today: "Commitment is essentially a state of going somewhere wholeheartedly, without regret or reservation"- (a team commitment card)

Lovin' Life! :):)

2010-08-16T13:08:00.003-07:00

As I sit here updating my blog, I'm at an incredibly beautiful house in Southampton enjoying some delicious coffee and sitting on the patio looking at the gorgeous property. If I had one wish it would be to have my handsome loves here with me and I know they would LOVE to be running around with Caroline's dog Bomber. The beach, which they love, is also only about 200 meters away. Howard Stern lives next door so I'm hoping I see him out running or something, haha :) I'm very grateful to be here relaxing, eating exquisite food and just looking at all the beautiful houses while I stroll on the beach...I'm lovin' life right now ;)

Yesterday I raced the Bronx Half Marathon and it went pretty well. I realized before the race that the last time I ran 13 miles was back in April!!, and that was for the More Fitness Women's Half Marathon in Central Park. The night before the race I only slept about 2 hours (seriously) because I had to be up at 3:45 to catch the bus and then the subway to get from Queens where I was staying, up to the Bronx. I went to bed pretty late and then kept thinking of things I needed to look up on my computer or little worries in general. Race morning I woke up, got everything together with mom and Samantha and then we headed out with all of our stuff (we brought our bags for the Hamptons with us to the race, lol). I got my coffee from Dunkin and we made it to the race safe and sound with about 30 minutes for me to warm up, etc.

I started the race running high 5:40's and then slowed to low 5:50's and then according to my Garmin averaged 5:57 pace for 13.25 miles (course must've been a bit long or I didn't run the tangents perfectly:) ). My body never got into extreme oxygen debt and I felt like I was doing a comfortably hard tempo run, so my final time of 1:18:47 was fine. Not fantastic but fine for my first 13 miler :) I didn't know the course record was 1:18:27 though, so of course my competitive self got annoyed that I was close and could've pushed harder to try and get it, haha

Overall though, I couldn't believe the support from the crowd, volunteers, police officers, and other runners!! during the race. I really enjoyed being able to see thousands of fellow racers going the opposite direction and they were cheering and saying such encouraging things to me. It was very nice and I couldn't have run up some of the hills as fast as I did without them screaming. The course had a ton of long gradual uphills so it was a pretty challenging race; perfect for getting ready for the NYC marathon!

Anyway, training has been going well and last week I hit a little over 60 miles. This week I'll run around 65-67, with a 5k race in Harlem on Saturday. I'm looking forward to something short and fast! I have done my core and strength routine a couple times since getting to NY last Wed, so my goal is to keep it up and do it at least 3 times per week. If I can do that I'll be happy.

I cannot believe the marathon is only 12 weeks away!! It's going to be here before I know it and it seems like just yesterday my countdown said 16 weeks. It's time to seriously get down to business and make bigger sacrifices. I haven't had an alcoholic drink since Cabo and I've decided that I won't drink again until after the marathon...so hmmm around noon on November 7th..Mimosas, Margaritas, Beer...Bring it on!! haha :) I've always believed that runners and athletes can definitely have balance in their life, in moderation of course and it won't hurt to have a drink every now and then. For me though, with this marathon, I want my training and everything going into it to be harder. I want more suffering, more sweat, more tears and more sacrifices than ever before. When I look back on my training even as far as high school and my best seasons in college, the times I sacrificed the most and took things up a few notches, I had breakthroughs; plain and simple. It didn't lead to injuries or burnout because my coaches trained me smart. I've also never gotten a major injury while training myself because I've taken everything I learned from them and some other things I've read in books and applied it to my training to see what works.

I have to admit, my hardest thing to battle is my eating habits. I love sweets, pastries, cookies, ice cream and anything that tastes so yummy and isn't the greatest for a serious athlete trying to get lean! LOL...so right NOW is the time to get stricter with myself and stop allowing myself to eat it. My goal from here until the marathon is to cut it out cold-turkey. I did this in my junior year of high school track...no sweets (except fat free hard candy), no chips, no cookies, no ice cream, etc. and had an amazing breakthrough season running 10:40 for the 2 mile, 4:53 mile and 2:11 800....However this time I'm going to cut out ALL sweets, chips, junk food, etc. Don't get me wrong, I love to eat healthy and I do a great job of not BUYING the junk food, because if it's in the house and I look at it everyday, it's very hard to resist. As long as I don't buy it I'm ok; it's not like I sit at home at night and want to go drive to buy ice cream. I know you can change your cravings for things and mine is to change my body's craving for sugar and some of the fatty fried foods I like :) THIS is going to be my biggest sacrifice for the marathon...No more gigantic Crumbs Bakery cupcakes for me while I am in NYC! :)...:(

Pic- from the race yesterday off the NYRR website...my mom took some but I don't have my camera cord with me in NYC :(

Quote for today: "To get what you've never had you must do what you've never done"

Positive direction...:)

2010-08-08T16:12:00.004-07:00

Overall, things in my life are really going in a positive direction and I couldn't be happier:) This morning the Arizona Road Racers put on their final summer series 5k of the summer out at South Mountain, at the entrance off of Central Ave, a little bit south of Baseline. There were a TON of people out racing and it made me so happy to see that many people out running and then socializing afterward. I have met so many nice people at ARR events and I'm so grateful they put on so many races all year long. The last time I raced the S. Mtn. course was in 2008 and I definitely was in better shape at that time! I looked at my running log today and I ran a 16:56 that year! This morning I definitely fell short of my sub 17 goal, with a 17:27. The course is pretty hilly and I didn't feel that great going into the race, sort of "out of it" and lethargic. 5 minutes before the start I had to sprint back to my car because I realized my chip wasn't on, so that woke me up a bit! lol..needless to say it was just a decent performance and I look forward to running a stronger race next weekend, the Bronx Half Marathon, put on by the New York Road Runners.

Today will be my first double-run day since returning to running in June. It's a bit toasty outside so I think I'll wait a little bit to head out there for my 4 miles. After the race this morning I ate, showered, etc. and then took a nap. I did my core and strength work after my nap so my run will be my third workout today. I'm really starting to feel like a professional athlete as all the work continues to add up day after day; it's exciting :)

I had the pleasure of getting my August issue of Running Times in the mail yesterday and the little article Gordon Bakoulis wrote about me and the mental aspects of racing, turned out really well! She did a great job and I enjoyed reading it. I also got to meet her when I was in NYC in April for the More Fitness Magazine Women's Half Marathon and she is a fabulous runner still to this day, after being a top American runner in her younger years. It's on page 70 if you want to read it :)

Speaking of NYC, when I'm there for almost a month starting this Wed, I'm super excited because my last weekend there (Labor Day weekend), I'm going to go to the US Open Tennis Tournament!!!! I'm super happy because it's something I've wanted to do for years and I hope I get to see Serena and Venus play, especially Serena. I think they are amazing athletes and I'd love to see them kick some booty! I can't wait :)

I also can't wait for the new Dunkin Donuts on the corner of McClintock and Warner to open!! hahaha I LOVE their coffee and there isn't one super close to my mom's, but now there will be!! woo hoo...now when I work out in Tempe I'll have a great post workout coffee option. ahhh the little things that can really make my day...:):)

I forgot my camera to take pics this morning so until I have new ones I'll keep putting up fun ones from Cabo :)

Quote for today: "Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined"- Henry David Thoreau

Ice ice baby, hydrating like crazy and racing again this weekend!!

2010-08-06T13:33:00.001-07:00

I never thought I would ever say that I love ice baths, but I do, and I definitely believe they help my body from the waist down. I try to take at least one per week, since it takes a little while to accumulate enough ice in our freezer and I am not going to go buy huge bags of ice every other day; at least not until I am running 90-100 mpw. In college I NEVER took them. I hated them. I went to the locker room to take a hot shower instead of going to the training room to sit in 45-50 degree water that almost always put me to tears. After college I learned that the water was actually supposed to be around 50-60 degrees to actually give you the benefits, and any colder was actually detrimental. Therefore now I can handle doing them after I get numb and make heaving breathing noises that freak my dogs out when I first get in the tub ☺ I really think the icy water helps prevent muscle soreness, relieve any aches and pains I’m having and overall just refreshes my legs for my next workout session. I love the winter here in Phoenix because then I can just use my mom’s pool as an ice bath and I don’t have to make them in my own tub, lol.

I’ve noticed lately I’m drinking soooo much water, more than usual it seems. Yes it’s pretty hot here and you definitely have to stay hydrated but I think I need to start mixing in some of my GU electrolyte blend and it might help my body retain some of the water for a little longer and give it some flavor, haha. When we were in Cabo Liz and I bought a 1.5 liter bottle of water to drink before we went into the dance club. We soon were laughing our butts off because we thought we physically were going to get sick if we finished it. I started chugging as much as I could while we people watched before we went in and it definitely helped keep me hydrated all night, lol…when in doubt, always get the bigger water bottle. Right Liz? ;) I ended up finishing it (see picture) and felt pregnant afterward! HAHAHA

I’m pretty pumped to race at the Arizona Road Racers Summer Series 5k this coming Sunday at South Mountain. My training has gone very well the past 3 weeks since the last 5k I did at Kiwanis so I’m hoping I can dip under 17 minutes at this one. My training has gone up and therefore I’ll be going into this one with more mileage in my legs from this week, but I know I’m fitter so we’ll see how it goes. I’ll try to aim for 5:25 miles and run controlled and hard ☺ My singlets got screened with the Endurance Rehab logo so now I am all set, except for Triple Sports. When I have theirs screened on I will be done and ready to go the rest of the year.

Quote for today: “Do or do not. There is no TRY”

I Got Your Back Boy(s)...:):)

2010-08-02T15:22:00.002-07:00

I cannot get enough of T.I.'s new song "Got your back"...it makes me think of my three boys who I love more than anything and would protect with my life...Wilbur, Barney and Winston, LOL :):) (Yes I practically treat them like they are my children) My picture is from when I started to get things ready for NYC and Winston would not leave the spare room where I got the big suitcase out. He sat there watching me and then proceeded to fall asleep on my shoes, maybe thinking if he slept on them he could go with mommy! :) awwww my babies..I'm going to miss them so much when I'm gone and I really really wish I could bring them with me...I'm enjoying my time with them until I leave in a little over a week, and I'll just have to tell them over and over again "I'll be back baby"...they know what that means, haha :)

Anyway, training has been going well. Last week I hit 50 miles and this week I'll get to 55. My patience and my decision to really take my mileage up gradually since coming back from my time off has been a very smart decision. It keeps me excited for training every day (although nervous for workouts sometimes!). It also seems like it's helped my foot not flare up really bad. Today I didn't run and just did my core/strength routine. It felt nice to sleep in a little bit and not wake up at 5! Tomorrow I'm doing my typical run + 10x300 at the track afterward. Every week my times get a little faster and I feel more comfortable and controlled hitting around 56 for each one.

My eating/nutrition has gotten so much better the past few days and I really cracked down after I got back from Cabo. I've been eating very healthy and cutting back the volume that I eat as well. So far my weight has not dropped so I'm hoping it starts to come off soon! For years I have not weighed myself regularly, so it gets annoying and stressful to get so uptight about a dumb number on a scale. I have to stop freaking out a lot or worrying so much because often when you want something so bad and stress too much, the opposite happens...you don't get what you want...We'll see how it continues to go.

Quote for today: "The reason most people never reach their goals is that they don’t define them, or ever seriously consider them as believable or achievable. Winners can tell you where they are going, what they plan to do along the way, and who will be sharing the adventure with them" -Denis Watley

Complete turnaround...:)

2010-07-31T10:29:00.003-07:00

My morning thoughts and events went a little something like this:

5 am- Alarm goes off and I lay there in the dark thinking "wait why do I do this? I'm getting up at the crack of dawn on a Sat to go run by myself at the track really hard. Can I even hit the times?"
5:05- out of bed, get dressed. Let the dogs out to see that it's raining, grey, and dark. "Oh gosh maybe I should do this workout tomorrow. No, tomorrow is my 10 mile moderate hard run so switching them with this gross weather won't really be any better. I may as well just do this today"
5:10- Eat my GU chomps, drink some water, put contacts in, put hair up.
5:15- Get water bottles, flats and everything I need ready to go. "where should I do the workout? MP track or MdN?...ugh this weather is gross"
5:20- Start driving and decide to go to MP because their track is brand new (softer) and Dunkin is close, so if I do well I can reward myself with a coffee after :)
5:35- The gates are closed at MP!! "WTF?! Now what the heck should I do? Maybe I should do this 5:41 pace 3 mile run just on the roads? No, too hard for me probably right now, especially on rolling terrain...maybe I should just go to LA Fitness and do this on the treadmill at 6 minute pace (since that's the fastest their treadmill goes)"
5:40- Decide to park across the street and start my 3 mile warm up and hope that someone opens the gates by the time I am back. During my warm up I notice the walk through gate is open though, so problem solved.
5:45-6:05- Warm up is awful. I get light headed and start seeing spots. "WTF is wrong with me?!?! I feel like I'm going to faint. I can't do this today. There must be something wrong. I hope I don't fall over here on this dirt trail and no one will ever find me!"
6:08- I decide to just go to the track. "I need to do some strides and see if I feel better. I'll take a GU gel and see if that helps my dizziness"
6:10- Get in my car and drive over to the MP parking lot, only to realize the gates are all locked around the track. I decide to just hop it (or climb, since it's about 10 feet high!)...yet 1 minute later the baseball coach comes around and I asked him to open it for me.
6:15- Flats are on and I start some strides. Still not feeling great but gradually dizziness is going away. Luckily it's not raining anymore yet it's still cooler than usual and the sun is far from coming out. The silence of standing there on the track completely alone made me realize that I need to give myself more credit than I do. I was there with no support, no coach, no teammates...just me, the track and my watch. "My legs feel like crap. This isn't going to go well"
6:25- Staring down the lane about to start running into my 12 laps of hard work. "Ok Sally you need to start this and stay positive. You might start feeling better once you get going". 10 meters into the first lap, "Sally go for it..you used to cry about not being able to work out hard because of your foot pain so stop this and appreciate the opportunity you have right now to run hard!"
6:26- I take off and try to get in a good rhythm. Mile one is 5:41. "Ok great job Sally, two more laps and you are half way there. Get through 6 laps and then focus on the next half"
6:34- Hit 6 laps right on target. "Ok keep this up, you are hitting every lap right on pace"
6:37- Hit 2 miles in 11:22. "Perfect Sally. You are feeling good. Run these next two laps controlled and then go for it the last 800"
6:42- Finish in 16:56 and feel so relieved to be done.

I changed my shoes and started my 3 mile cool down around the surrounding neighborhoods. I can't believe how the morning unfolded. I literally was at a point of thinking I should drive home due to how dizzy I felt and my very negative attitude from the moment I woke up. I'm really proud of myself for pushing through and doing what I could to get the workout done and accomplish my goal for the day. I wouldn't have been able to do the workout though if I didn't have the Vanilla Bean GU. I carry one with me on every run lately because of this dizziness thing I get almost every day. They truly are lifesavers and I appreciate their sponsorship so much!

Today is the last day of July and we are on to August! wow, where has the summer gone? It seems like just yesterday it was May and I was in Spokane racing. So far the summer has been a great one for me and my foot continues to be pretty good so I'm extremely grateful right now :) This weather makes me sooooo happy too!! It's just so nice and I love it...of course I love sunshine but it's great to have a break from the 100+ scorching sun. Grey skys, 75 degrees and breezy :) Heaven :)

Quote for today: "Anything worth having doesn't come easy"

Sweat fest weather + harder runs = never enough sleep!

2010-07-30T15:41:00.003-07:00

Ridiculous humidity here in the valley along with my mileage and workouts gradually getting harder and longer has left me feeling really tired every single day! Yesterday Sam and I did a 9 mile run at a moderately challenging pace (as quick as 6:48 with an average of 6:54 for the entire run). I felt good and pretty comfortable until the very end when the humidity and heat finally started to hit me. Eww my running clothes looked like I had just jumped in the pool when I was done!! I did 6 strides and my drills afterward and the air felt so thick I could hardly catch my breath! This morning was a nice respite with less humidity, a little windy and much cooler, 78 versus low 90’s ☺ It’s great to have monsoon season here in Phoenix because it gives us a break from the triple digits and brings some much needed rain.

I’ve been sleeping around 7-7.5 hours per night and taking a nap because I’ve felt exhausted, yet no matter what I’m still not feeling refreshed and awake. I’m attributing it to the weather and the fact that my training is more intense than it’s been since mid- April. My mileage hasn’t been where it is now since April and while I’m increasing my mileage and my intensity at the same time, the weather here makes it that much harder. I know my body will catch up with itself eventually but for now I need to sleep and eat as best I can to maximize my fitness ☺

Tomorrow I’m doing a workout on the track: 3 mile warm up, 3 miles continuous at 5:41 pace and a 3 mile cool down. I hope it goes well and that I can hit the times! I’m looking forward to racing another 5k on August 8th here in Phoenix and hopefully run under 17 minutes. I can’t believe I leave for NYC in a week and a half yet I’m excited to help move my sister out there and be in the city for a few weeks. I’m racing some New York Road Runner races and I can’t wait to see other boroughs of the city since I’m always just in Manhattan. One of the races is a XC race at Van Cortland so that will be super fun and the last time I raced there was USA XC nationals in 2006! I have my new purple and silver Brooks Mach 12 spikes to wear too ☺

Quote for today: “If you have a goal in life that takes a lot of energy, that requires a lot of work, that incurs a great deal of interest and that is a challenge to you, you will always look forward to waking up to see what the new day brings” – Susan Polis Schultz

Coronas and Clubbing in Cabo!! :):)

2010-07-27T12:26:00.006-07:00

All I have to say is that Cabo San Lucas, Mexico is by far probably the best spot I've been to in Mexico as far as all around FUN. Our resort was fabulous and right on the water. We were within walking distance to the downtown area and the marina. The club scene was amazing and they don't have cover charges so you can go from place to place as you please. There were multiple places with good music but my favorite was Mandala, where they played dance techno music and had different colored tiles lighting up all over the floor. Pink Kitty had the best music as far as up to date and not stuff from my high school years, LOL. Every night we thoroughly enjoyed Coronas, Pacificos, Margaritas etc. and hit the town to shake what our mammas gave us. :) I can't wait to go back and I'm already planning another trip for hopefully Christmas/New Years time. Oh Cabo I <3 you....

I kept up with my training every day in Cabo and that made me pretty happy. I ran on the treadmill in the nice fitness center and made it out to the beach by mid-day every day :) I would have liked to run outside because the weather was so beautiful but I didn't have anyone to run with and in general it was not the greatest place to go off running down the road, especially with all the men on the roads yelling to ask if we "want a free boyfriend?!" HAHAHA Anyway, my mileage hit 45 last week and this week I'll run 50. My foot has been pretty good thank goodness! I think it's definitely helping that I have been wearing good sandals everyday with great arch support. I don't have the bad stabbing pain ever since I started wearing them during the day when I don't have running shoes on.

My friend recently saw a full page ad/race report from the More Fitness Women's Half marathon in NYC that I won in April, in the July/August issue of Fitness magazine. I'm happy he told me about it because when I saw the pictures, it got me excited to race really fast again and I reminded myself I am not THAT far off from being in great shape and by the time NYC marathon, the BEST shape of my life.

Another aspect of my training I am going to work on is my mental strength for races and how to manage pre-race anxiety. I am incredibly tough when it comes to hard parts of a race when I'm in pain; I won't ever completely give up on myself. However before a race sometimes I get so nervous and afraid to "fail" that I waste so much energy on worrying about how I'm going to end up doing. I have met with a sports psychologist before, yet it was years ago in college. Our psychologist at Duke, Greg Dale, is very good, so I think I'll get his books and see if they help :)

I missed my boys soooooo much when I was in Cabo and now I only have two weeks before I leave to go to NYC for a while!! ahhhh so sad :( I'll definitely spend the next two weeks with them as much as possible, train really hard, get as much sleep as I can and continue to stay focused. Cabo was my vacation for the year so far and now it's time to get really serious, sacrifice and suffer more than I ever have...getting up so early every morning definitely tests my mental will but it also makes me incredibly strong :) Here we go baby...only a little less than 15 weeks until GO time...

Quote for today: "First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do"- Epictetus

Mission Accomplished...

2010-07-18T14:30:00.006-07:00

Racing yesterday was a fun experience and I accomplished my goal of 5:30 pace by running a 17:09. I'm pretty happy that I raced comfortably hard and hit my goal time without much running lately, especially speed work. It was extremely humid and almost 100 degrees by the time we were done so my face felt like I was melting from the inside out! hahaha:) Having mom and Sam there to cheer me on definitely helped me keep pushing myself and enjoy my post race cool down. I'm not sore at all today so I'm also happy about that..Although on my long-ish run this morning I felt fatigued, yet it may be due to the fact that we played water volleyball in our pool during the day and night yesterday at our pool party/BBQ and I didn't get much sleep last night. My nap today was fabulous!

This week is the week I've been waiting for, for many many months...Two quick days of running, errands, friends, etc. and then I leave for Cabo on Wednesday...so excited to see my girls from college! :) I have to stay dedicated to my running each day, so I hope I'll be able to run either with one of the girls or on the treadmill at our resort each morning and then shower and get out to the beach!

Quote for today: "Whoever wants to reach a distant goal must take small steps"- Helmut Schmidt

Racing tomorrow and thank goodness for GU!

2010-07-16T12:33:00.001-07:00

I finally get to push myself and run like a bat outta hell tomorrow morning ☺ I’ll be racing my first race since May 3rd, and it’s a local summer series 5k here in Tempe at Kiwanis Park. It has been 114-115 degrees here the past couple days and tomorrow morning I am sure it will be around 100 degrees by the time we finish the race. The humidity has not helped the situation, yet we live in Phoenix and this is what we have to expect ☺ As far as the race goes I don’t know what to expect. I haven’t done much speedwork at all but I have done some strides after runs and this past Tuesday I did 8x300 most of them in 58 with 100 recovery, in my regular training shoes, after my run. They felt comfortable, so my goal to run 5:30’s tomorrow I think is attainable…we’ll see I guess. I’m just happy to go race with my fellow Phoenicians!

My little aches and pains seem to be better. I think some of the exercises in my strength routine irritated my hip/hamstring in my left leg, so now that I haven’t done them for a while, it seems to be better. There is still some achey pain in there but it’s not awful. My PF still gives me problems yet I take it one day at a time, manage it as best I can and remain positive.

My mileage this week will hit around 45 with today being my day off. My “long run” on Sunday will be 9 miles. I went up to Flagstaff on Wednesday and came back yesterday afternoon. I enjoyed running on the gorgeous trails up there and the weather was beautiful!! Next summer I think I may rent a house/apartment to do my summer training in the cooler weather and see how my body responds to altitude training. I’d love to go do it for the month of Sep and Oct this year before the NYC marathon, yet I don’t know how I would respond so I am not going to risk it before such an important race.

Anyway, another issue on my runs every now and then is feelings of dizziness. Sometimes I get it only 3 miles into my run or sometimes it can be 5 or 6, yet it’s kind of scary to think you are going to fall over and the ground is spinning. Before I run every morning I have half a pack of GU Chomps with water and some coffee, so maybe my blood sugar is just really low. I started running with a Vanilla Bean GU and when I get dizzy I eat it and within 3-4 minutes I am fine and able to run feeling completely normal. Thank goodness for my Gus because otherwise my runs could be cut short almost every day lately!

Quote for today: “It doesn’t matter where you are coming from. All that matters is where you are going”- Brian Tracy

Seattle summer fun + upping the training

2010-07-11T13:38:00.003-07:00

The past week has gone by fast and I had the pleasure of visiting Seattle for a few days with fellow Brooks athletes and coaches. Weather in Seattle was much warmer than I expected but about 15-18 degrees cooler than here so I tried to enjoy it. We had a great time going to meetings at the Brooks Headquarters, meeting Brooks employees, getting a preview of future Brooks products and giving feedback on shoes, apparel and also going running together. The highlight of the footwear meeting was seeing a new cross country flat that will likely be coming out in the fall of 2011 that has leopard print all over it!!(*&&^%$!!! AHHH I am so excited…for those of you who know me well, you completely understand why this couldn’t fit me any more perfectly ☺

I enjoyed walking around downtown Seattle, going to the farmers market at Pike Place Market, seeing the original Starbucks store (even though I’m not a huge fan of the company), and there was a line down the street to go in the place!, meeting with my friend who lives in Seattle, seeing my cousin and last but not least going for a great, peaceful run along the beautiful water early in the morning on the day I left. We also had a ton of fun at the Yankees/Mariners game on Friday night in our own huge suite with food and drinks. I’m grateful I had the opportunity to go to Seattle and meet some nice people and learn more about one of the companies I represent.

Running and training has been a little rocky lately but overall I’m still doing well. My body seems to get achy in weird areas and I have no clue why. It may just be my body working out the kinks and everything from the many weeks off and now that I’m running a decent amount again, little things are bothering me. I’m taking care of things that pop up and hopefully with help from Endurance Rehab and being diligent in what I do at home, I can stay healthy.

I modified my core routine I have been doing for the past few months because I was getting really burned out on it. I also felt I was doing a lot more than necessary, so I condensed it into one main routine that takes about an hour. I think it will be a good change even if it’s brief. It’s always good to keep evolving and learning about new things to benefit your training and fitness.

10 more days until the vacation I’ve been waiting for…for many many months ☺…CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO with my girls from college!!! ☺

Quote for today: ”To achieve happiness, we should make certain that we are never without an important goal”- Earl Nightingale

Grateful, Writing Training and Motivational Mirror

2010-07-04T16:55:00.002-07:00

Happy fourth of July everyone! I hope you all are enjoying the holiday weekend, extra days off from work, BBQ’s, pool time, etc. with friends and family ☺ I wore my American flag socks this morning on my run to honor the day, haha ☺ I enjoy these socks at races when there are tons of foreigners and I want to proudly show I’m racing for the USA. Thinking about our country and all the freedom I truly have in my life makes me incredibly grateful. Although I don’t think about it everyday like I should, I’m so happy I have the freedom in this country to choose my career, who I socialize with, who I date, where I can go in public, etc. There are still so many places where women can’t make their own choices, they’re told what to do by men or they have societal pressures to have a certain career. I love that I’ve been blessed with my athletic talent and I’m able to do what I absolutely love every single day. Of course there are ups and downs, but overall I have an amazing, great life ☺

I finally finished writing my training from now until the NYC Marathon and I’m so excited! I feel as though I finished an artistic masterpiece, haha. In the past I have literally just trained and done hard workouts based off what I considered to be common sense or past experiences of what I knew worked or didn’t work in college. Much of the past 3 years has been an experiment on my part. I worked with a coach for a few months last year, but other than that, I’ve done everything on my own. I finally read a couple books the past year and they have helped me learn some things about training. (Advanced Marathoning by Pete Pfitzgerald and Scott Douglas and Better Training for Distance Runners by David Martin and Peter Coe)

Of course I knew about lactate threshold training, VO2 max workouts, tempos, long runs, etc. yet I never really knew how to plan it all so that I peaked at the right time or if I was doing it at the correct paces in order to hit my goal times in races. In fact, two of my huge breakthroughs occurred unexpectedly when I had NEVER done the paces in workouts that I hit in the races. For example my 1:12:52 half marathon and my 2:35:52 marathon both must have been a result of some good overall strength, mental toughness and perhaps the fact I was undertrained and not burned out. Anyway, my plans for the next 18 weeks are definitely harder than I’ve ever done and I know it’s going to be difficult, and perhaps will need some tweaking at some point, but I have to take it one day at a time and I know I’ll accomplish great things☺

I’ve started to put motivational quotes, countdowns and pictures on my mirror in my bathroom and it’s fun to look at it every single day. It really helps me to see this sort of stuff and it reminds me to work hard every single day. Any day that I may not feel like going out the door to do my really hard workout is a day someone else WILL, so I have to say focused ☺ I’m continuing to take naps, foam roll a lot, stretch, ice little aches and pains and constantly working on my willpower to keep eating healthy.

Quote for today: “Life’s up and downs provide windows of opportunity to determine your values and goals. Think of using all obstacles as stepping stones to build the life you want”- Marsha Sinetar

73 Degree Fun, New Singlets, Seattle and Cabo Countdown!

2010-07-03T14:28:00.007-07:00

Yesterday my sister, my boys and I all drove down to Tucson for some Mt. Lemmon fun and we tried a new Mexican food restaurant as well. Weather at the bottom of the mountain was around 105-108 degrees and at the top it was about 73: Gorgeous! ☺ It was incredibly relaxing and beautiful up there. We walked the boys for a little bit in the forest and it was great. I think they really enjoyed the cooler weather and I fed them some of the new Cookie Cabin flavored cookie, Lemon Sugar☺ Lunch at the Mexican food restaurant disappointed us a little bit because my friend told me how fantastic it is and there were tons of people waiting, yet to be honest I think I can cook better Mexican at home! Ha Always fun to try a new place though…

I received my new white Brooks/Marathon Guide.com racing singlets in the mail from my agent and they look great! My Brooks ID singlet couldn’t really have other company logos screened on it because of difficulty with the material. The color is extremely bright too, so other colors couldn’t really be screened on it very well. I still need to get the Triple Sports and Endurance Rehabilitation logos screened on the front, yet so far the Marathon Guide and GU logos look good and are nice and big! I’m even more excited to race now ☺

My super special summer vacation with my great college friends is coming up VERY soon…in 18 days we’ll all be on our way to meet up and have the time of our lives! We are excited to relax, eat yummy food, drink great drinks, dance our asses off and of course talk a TON and catch up on so many things going on in all of our lives that we don’t have time to always call each other about. I cannot wait to see all of them ☺☺ The beach really makes me so happy and I can’t explain in words how much I enjoy being by the ocean, especially when friends, food, drinking and dancing is involved!

I’m also looking forward to going to Seattle this coming week to meet with other Brooks athletes and go to the company headquarters. We are going to give them feedback on gear and learn some new stuff, so I’m excited. It’ll be fantastic to get out of these triple digits for a few days!

Training is going great and I’m so happy every single day I get up and I know I can run. I’m getting antsy to start working out hard and go race again yet I know I have to remain patient and not be greedy with my mileage, etc. I’m happy my first race back in a while will be here in Tempe at the Arizona Road Racers Summer Series 5k at Kiwanis Park on July 17th. Yay!

Quote for today: "If you are going to be a champion, you must be willing to pay a greater price"- Bud Wilkinson

New Yoooork New Yooooork☺☺☺ & Wo-Man Up!!

2010-06-27T20:56:00.002-07:00

I finished up this week a little over 25 miles and I’m feeling great. Overall, I’m extremely happy to be running again yet also very antsy to ramp up the mileage. I’m taking it really slow and adding mileage gradually, with the goal to keep my foot healthy (and everything else of course). My core work and strength work continues to go well also.

The summer temps arrived a few weeks ago and have remained above 100 degrees every day. Thank goodness at 6 am when I start my runs, it’s a beautiful chilly 70-75 lately ☺ I LOVE it and I feel at peace out there running and enjoying my time to think, de-stress, visualize, get pumped for my next marathon, etc. ☺ Which by the way is going to be the New York City Marathon!! Woo hoooo!! I am extremely excited because I have raced the marathon back in 2008 and my two races thus far this year in NYC have gone really well. I’ll spend 3 weeks in NYC this summer and again in the fall for the race I’ll be there for two weeks for the marathon and to go see my sister race at her Big East Championships and NCAA Northeast Regional Championships. Yay!

I look forward to racing an incredibly fast, gutsy, strong, tough and exciting 26.2 miles on November 7th, among the best women in the world (and being a part of another women’s USA National Marathon Championship, which NYC is hosting in conjunction with their regular elite women’s field). I remember wanting to cry on the bus ride to the start line in Staten Island in 2008. It feels so incredibly special and overwhelming to be on one of maybe 3-4 busses filled with the best male and female marathoners in the world, while the sun gradually rises and police cars and motorcycles give us a special escort over to the start line area. The streets and bridges in all 5 boroughs are pretty quiet and empty while spectators get situated on the sidewalks before 40,000 + runners start to race through. Having the all-women elite start is pretty special too; this year I’ll make sure I run fast enough to not have the lead men catch me with a mile to go like last time! Haha. The next 19 weeks I am sure many memories will play over and over in my head and I can’t wait for that bus ride again this year….until then though, I have a lot of hard work, suffering and sacrifices to make.

Speaking of hard work, suffering and sacrifice, I’ve been struggling a bit lately while thinking of ALL my goals I have for myself. Plain and simple, from the 800 meters all the way to the marathon and even cross country, I want to get FASTER (and finish high in big races obviously)! I know it takes time and I can only focus on one “A” race at a time, yet being patient has always been a weakness of mine; I like to see instant results, HA. I think watching all the amazing and inspiring races at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships the past few days has made me just want to get out there and race fast! It’s been way too long ☹ It’ll be here soon enough though…gotta remember to enjoy the journey…

If you live in the Phoenix area or ever visit. you HAVE to go to Luci’s in Phoenix on the NW corner of 16th St and Bethany Home Rd….DELICIOUS!! I went there this morning with a friend of mine, had the best French toast of my life ☺ and a very large (32 oz) vanilla latte, LOL..yum yum. We hung out for a while and it’s a cute, fun place to be with tons of people there all the time!

Quote for today (that I really need right now): “Manning up is refusing to let anxiety, fear and suffering steer you away from what you know you really want as an athlete. The ability to man up is hugely beneficial to performance, of course, and I also think it’s the essence of character.”

pic: Me racing NYC in 2008.

Eminem, Naps and Gettin' Down to Business...:)

2010-06-25T08:53:00.008-07:00

I'm typically NOT an Eminem fan, but his new album "Recovery" has some great songs with incredible lyrics. I love listening to certain ones, especially when I'm working out. My faves are "25 to Life" (wow), "Love the way you lie" (awesome w/ Rihanna), and "Not Afraid"....Obviously every song has its intended meanings by the artist, yet of course we can apply them to our own lives and some lyrics can have symbolism that can be interpreted in different ways :) Anyway, his new stuff is great and when I have amazing new music to listen to when I train, it takes me to a different level, I run faster and I imagine myself racing super fast; I LOVE new music!!

I vividly remember being five years old and NEVER wanting to take a nap when my mom told me to. I'd come out of my room begging her to let me stay up; I STILL remember doing it and it makes me laugh. I can probably count on both hands how many naps I have taken in the past 15 years. I think I just always find something to do even if I am tired, get an iced coffee from Coffee Bean (yup 5 shots of espresso in their large!!!ahhh lol), and then continue to get things done in the day and go to bed at night. Therefore over time I am probably constantly a little sleep deprived. So many professional runners take naps like every single day! I have never been able to do that, mostly because of my teaching all day and by the time I get home, even if I didn't have a second workout, it would be weird to nap from about 4 pm to 6 pm, haha. I'd rather spend time with my boys anyway :) Well, the past week I have taken 2-2.5 hour naps on 3 different days and they felt sooo great. It took me about 45 minutes to feel fully awake again and be able to do another workout, yet it definitely refreshed me a little bit. I'll definitely continue to take them as much as possible, especially since I love staying up late. It's hard to go to bed at 9 or 10 when I want to stay up, yet getting up at 5:30 on most days lately is NOT fun when you go to bed late, ahem...like I have found out a couple times ;) When my workouts get harder and longer my body will need a nap to recover and rest a little more.

Now that my running is back in full swing pain-free, it's time to get down to business baby!! :) I have been mapping out my training and potential races for the next few months and it's very exciting. Someone recently told me that planning races and having certain ones to focus on, is something I need to treat like a business. It's very true, obviously, since this is my business. My career is training, racing and traveling all over the world and although it's what I love so incredibly much, sometimes you have to really treat certain aspects like a business to get what you want and accomplish your goals. My agent is working on finalizing my fall marathon plan but right now it's looking fab-u-lousssss :):) I am so incredibly excited. There are some things I am going to do differently for this marathon in order to really see what I am capable of.
First of all, I will not race as much as I did last summer and I won't race as much leading up to the marathon because long training weekends and the important marathon pace runs, long runs, etc. are not worth interrupting to go race across the country. We'll see if this approach is good for me; different plans work for different people. I'm also going to work on getting leaner than I've ever been before. Let's face it, I'll never weigh 100 pounds and if I did I might be on my deathbed. However I will work on not eating as many sweets, lots of fruits and veggies, whole grains, etc. It's all not really that complicated but having really good willpower is always easier said than done, especially for someone like myself who has tended to pretty much always eat what I want. :) We'll see how it goes...I may also go do some altitude training the couple months leading up to the marathon. Quote for today: "It's lack of faith that makes people afraid of meeting challenges, and I believed in myself"- Muhammad Ali

Run run! Splish splash + Mr. S and Jack Black

2010-06-21T11:56:00.002-07:00

Wowsers this past week has been oh so fabulous ☺ Last Monday, I almost cried tears of joy the first quarter mile of my run. It hit me for the first time in years how much I am completely in love with running; a simple run of 2 miles truly made my day. All week I felt completely content, yet in the back of my head I still had a little bit of fear that I would suddenly have sharp pains. Thank goodness they never showed up ☺

I ran a little over 20 miles with a day off on Wednesday. I went to Endurance Rehab for another check up and Wolfgang actually told me the adhesions in the soft tissue of my fascia are smaller and it seems better! Pretty amazing that despite starting to run again and getting less and less treatment has been doing some good. All the stretching I’ve been doing, wearing my Strasburg sock, the time off, etc. helped in some way or another. On every single run I wore my CEP compression socks (www.cepsocks.com) and I really believe they help so much, especially with my Brooks Trance shoes (http://www.brooksrunning.com/product/1200571B/123212/Trance%209) that already have a good arch support. I wear my neutral running shoes with orthotics pretty much everywhere I go too, even walking around the house, lol. This coming week I plan to run about 25 miles and I’m looking forward to it. Taking it slow each week and gradually increasing my mileage is definitely the smartest thing right now, and it makes me more and more excited to run, rather than immediately rushing into 8-10 mile runs every day.

About 6 months ago I wanted to order a suit from Splish (www.splish.com) that I really really liked, yet it was sold out in the two piece. Well I got on their site a couple weeks ago and they have it again! It’s called Awesome Girl, and it has a lightning bolt on the front and stars on the bottoms, hahaha…I just love it..I wore it for the first time yesterday and it’s really comfortable. We had a delicious breakfast at DD (Daily Dose) in Old Town Scottsdale for father’s day and we brought our bikes in dad’s truck so afterward we rode over to Eldorado for a swim. We rode back to Tempe after the swim and I relaxed the rest of the day ☺

We got to the pool a little bit before they opened so I had a chance to really put on sunscreen and not be lazy. Most of the time I can’t find sunscreen that actually WORKS when I’m in the pool and I still tend to get burned. I have tried a new more natural sunscreen by a company called Jack Black (www.getjackblack.com) and I really like it! I used it on my bike ride the other day and I love how it dries and doesn’t make me feel like I am in a sauna after I put it on. Most sunscreens say they are “non-greasy” but this one really is and I don’t have to worry about it dripping off, stinging my eyes, etc. It’s also fragrance free, doesn’t have a lot of crappy ingredients and overall seems great for my sensitive skin.

Another really awesome product by Jack Black that I started using is their Performance Remedy Dragon Ice Relief and Recovery Balm. It has some more natural herbs and pain relieving ingredients to reduce inflammation, muscles aches and pains, etc. I massaged it into my foot and it felt fantastic. I’m definitely going to start using it for self massage on any areas I have aches and pains because it actually works! I really like Jack Black products and I can’t wait to try the rest of their line.

Quote for today: "People are unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered. Love them anyway. If you do good, people may accuse you of selfish motives. Do good anyway. If you are successful, you may win false friends and true enemies. Succeed anyway. The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway. Honesty and transparency make you vulnerable. Be honest and transparent anyway. What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight. Build anyway. People who really want help may attack you if you help them. Help them anyway. Give the world the best you have and you may get hurt. Give the world your best anyway." -- Mother Teresa

Life, Lemmon and I get to RUN tomorrow!! &^$%& :):):)

2010-06-13T19:24:00.007-07:00

This past week I swam and rode more than I did the entire two weeks prior! HA…14k in the pool, including a 4k straight free session yesterday at Eldorado (outdoor pools help me stay a little sane), 186 miles on my bike the past 6 days, and 7 straight days of core and strength training…UGH I am so tired right now. I have been really silly, making jokes and laughing my butt off all day and evening…clearly I am really overtired and will sleep well tonight ☺ I’m so happy I’ve gotten back into a routine and although I have a ways to go before being in amazing shape for Kona, I am excited for the journey and can’t wait to celebrate all night on October 9th! ☺

Climbing Lemmon for the 5th time today was challenging because my legs felt pretty tired, yet super fun because I brought my sister with me and she had a ton of fun. There were a lot of people at the top of the mountain and there was a music festival going on with tents of food, drinks, etc. A few beers before descending Lemmon at 40+ mph? probably not a great idea ;) We did get a HUGE bag of Kettle corn though and managed to eat most of it on the drive home…delish. I enjoyed wearing my new Triple Sports jersey and it’s really comfortable so I am sure it’s going to work great in Kona. I’ll also test it out at my tris this summer and make sure it works well in racing ☺ I was laughing so hard when a lady at Le Buzz put an adorable parrot on my shoulder..he was eating tomatoes and dropping them on my shoulder, haha

I have been just drinking water on my rides lately and eating a GU or some Chomps if I feel light headed, hungry, etc. Today I enjoyed my favorite Vanilla Gus and a small bag of orange GU Chomps and my stomach responded well and I felt good. I need to continue practicing my fuel consumption and finding the perfect combination so I don’t have stomach problems in a really long race. Luckilly with GU products I’ve never had any issues; right now it’s about finding the right balance of sodium, calories, etc.

Oh my gosh I cannot believe the time has finally come!!! TOMORROW morning I am going to RUN for the first time in 6 weeks ☺☺ I have kept myself busy all week with training, meeting up with friends, going out, etc. to make the last week off fly by….and it has!! I’m very excited and I hope the entire week of gradually getting back into it goes really well. I’m looking forward to hanging out at LGO afterward and eventually swimming again outside in the afternoon!

This week, in addition to my core/ST, I plan to run about 20 miles, ride 150 and swim 20k.; should be a good week. My longest ride will probably be Tuesday pretty early in the morning, from Tempe and out along the Beeline…hopefully there won’t be much traffic during the week going out that way!

Quote for today: “You can only become truly accomplished at something you love. Don’t make money your goal. Instead, pursue the things you love doing, and then do them so well that people can’t take their eyes off you”- Maya Angelou

Triple Sports, Kona, Brooks and Runner’s World…

2010-06-08T23:40:00.003-07:00

I am so excited because I picked up a bunch of great stuff at Triple Sports and I really love my new jersey with their logo on it. As soon as I get a picture of it I will post it ☺ I also got a much needed new helmet, some new triathlon cycling shoes and some great Zoot shorts, the women’s Ultra Tri Short. Everything I got is awesome and I love going into Triple Sports because I always leave feeling more excited and motivated to train and race. I’m looking forward to my first triathlon race in July, the first since Oceanside!

I have made some “official” Kona plans lately and I am superrrr excited!!! I kept teetering on what to do and whether or not to even go race. To make a long story short I finally made a decision based off what I want to do, and not based off other outside factors or opinions. I have a condo ON the beach booked and a convertible for my ride, so now all I need is to get my ticket ☺ I am finally getting in gear with my training as well and I am happier than I have been in a while. I thought that the voice in my head telling me “no” when I imagined getting on my bike or going swimming was a sign my heart wasn’t in it as much as it should be. However not doing training other than my core and strength actually made me feel less productive, more bored and affected my mood more than I realized. Now that I have gotten back into everything I feel like a different person. Although earlier my legs felt like they had been hit with sledge hammers due to my hot and challenging 50 mile ride today in the 100+ degree heat, LOL ☺ I feel so much better being in a routine and pushing myself, even if running is still not in the mix ☹

Today I also got a call from someone at Brooks, inviting me to an elite athlete/coaches symposium and few days of FUN in Seattle this July. I’m super excited to go up there and hang out with awesome athletes, coaches and Brooks employees, see new gear, etc. It will be so nice to get out of the heat for a few days too! ☺

I had a pleasant surprise when I flipped through my July issue of Runner’s World and saw a small blip about me and Kristin Davis, from when I won the More Women’s Half Marathon and said “I LOVE Sex and the City”, when I received my award. Not only was meeting her really fun, but then there I am with a picture right next to her, haha. The new second movie is absolutely hilarious by the way….:)

Quote for today: “Only think of two things- the gun and the tape- When you hear one just run like hell til you break the other”- Sam Mussabini

Hope

2010-06-06T20:01:00.002-07:00

I have had a very very fun weekend filled with tons of laughing (so hard I cried :) ), my delicious "giant sunday pancakes", some training and other various fun activities. I am having fears of what my foot will feel like after my first run next monday and I keep reminding myself that I just need to hope for the best. If it hurts or doesn't feel great afterward, I hope I will have the strength and positivity to maintain my faith in myself, my goals and my talent. Based off the little twinges and tightness I still get about every other day, I am being realistic and assuming the injury isn't going to be "gone". My biggest fear was that taking this time off would not heal the injury, and if that is the case I'll be extremely annoyed. Yet at the same time, I would have always wondered if time off would help. Either way, I'm getting some sort of answer out of the situation. I'm hoping my appointment tomorrow at Endurance Rehab helps me somewhat as well :)

A quote that really helps me lately with some stressful decisions weighing on me is:

"At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want"- Buddha

another new favorite as well:

"You gotta live to learn
you gotta crash and burn
you gotta make some stances
and take some chances
you gotta live and love
and take all life has to give
you gotta live and learn
so you can learn to live."

Antsy...

2010-06-04T17:19:00.002-07:00

5 weeks of time off is almost complete and I can try running again on June 14th. I have managed to stay pretty sane and embrace the time off yet now I am getting antsy to run again ☺ The excitement I have to just simply lace up my shoes and take off down the canal running, even if it’s going to only be two miles, makes me smile. Phoenix has decided to dump 110 plus temperatures on us after giving us a gorgeous month of May. Nothing like 95 up to 110…get us runners used to it real quick ☺ I’ll definitely make the 14th a special one…hit the canal in Phoenix and then hang out and relax at LGO afterward…yeah baby ☺

I got my lovely little Coop limo tinted today and she looks so sexy. I can’t believe I have been driving her in Phoenix for all this time without having dark tint! I love it…now all she needs is a spoiler and rims and she will be hot hot hot ☺

My core and strength training continue to go really well and it’s keeping me strong from my feet up, so when I start running again I’ll be structurally strong and hopefully remain injury free! I have a check up with Endurance Rehab this coming Monday so we’ll see what they say about my foot. I’ll definitely hit up MMR pool while I am up that way…can never pass up the most gorgeous lap pool I’ve ever swum in ☺

TGIF!!! Tonight I am going out to drink some tasty Chambords and eat the best corn bread in the valley ☺ Time to get ready to start another fun weekend. Gotta live it up while I can, until my alarm starts ringing at 5 am for my runs ☺ Have a great weekend everyone!!

Quote of the day: “You’re only as strong as the tables you dance on, the drinks you mix and the friends you roll with” …☺

Love...?

2010-06-01T12:51:00.006-07:00

Right now a big debate in my head is whether or not to train professionally for triathlons in addition to my professional running career. There are many positives to do doing both yet there are a few negative thoughts running through my head as well. The main one being, "can I LOVE triathlon like I love running?". Running has been my "thing", so to speak, since I was a little girl and finally at 14 I devoted all my time to focusing on running, instead of swimming, which I had also had a lot of success doing. My talent with running showed from a very young age and I have had some ups and downs for the last 16 years. Thankfully I haven't been victim to many serious injuries yet the past year my heel spur and pain associated with it, has tested my "love" for running. Physically I could run through probably anything, even a broken bone, yet emotionally, the stress, heartache and sadness I felt everyday was too much to handle after 12 months. During this time off I have missed my running a LOT, yet I have had the opportunity to test my love for the pool and Mr. Specialized :)

Needless to say, the true love for the other two sports just isn't there. Yet I ask myself, "Sally, have you truly opened yourself up to even the possibility to LOVE the other two?" Or am I afraid to eventually love triathlon just as much if not more than running, abandoning all the dreams and goals I had as just a runner? Running is my comfortable sport. I know it's always there for me, will always make me happy (if I'm injury free) and just in general I enjoy it more than the other two sports. Do I have to LOVE swimming and biking to be among the best in the world in triathlon? Well, probably not, but I need to at least get myself to the pool and get out on the roads. I need to give my body the chance to get in a groove, improve and go race, ..... and maybe I'll fall in love with the sport. It's not a guarantee that being good at something means you are going to love it. Yet with me, if I train really hard for a very long time, I might be hating the sport at the time but then traveling to a race and going and pushing myself incredibly hard to get a fantastic result leaves me feeling happy, accomplished and so proud that I "stuck it out" and didn't just quit when the going got tough.

I have always been a risk taker and love just giving myself a shot, because I figure if you never try, you will never know. With this situation, there are financial aspects to consider, a whole new set of things to learn and just in general there is the complete unknown. I KNOW how great I can be with my running already, and I know there is even more for me to accomplish with running. With triathlon, I have no clue....and it scares me. I guess I am afraid to "fail", to not do as well as I expect and hope. I know I need to seek out others who are more experienced, get advice, take it one step at a time, try to simply enjoy it as much as I can and take some risks. After all, "with great risk comes great reward" :)

GU sent me an awesome package of great goodies recently. My favorite GU Brew Recovery and Electrolyte drinks (Strawberry Watermelon, Raspberry and Blueberry Pomegranate) were in there, as well as some boxes of a new flavor they are bringing out!! It's going to replace the Orange Burst, and it's called Mandarin Orange. I tried it yesterday and it's yummy!! :) It would be so good to eat part of one and also eat some of a Vanilla GU, kinda make it taste like a creamsicle haha...try to manage that on a run or ride....might have to be at a stop for that one ;) Keep an eye out for the new Mandarin Orange...definitely going to be a new popular flavor.

Less than two weeks left until I can try running again, and I am continuing to enjoy everyday of my break. This past holiday weekend was SUPER fun and going to parties, meeting new people, hanging with great friends and eating and drinking great food, etc. was awesome. There is nothing better than being around people who just make you happy to be alive :)

Tonight I am excited to cook a delicious meal. I have to say, cooking and baking is one of my favorite things to do; it's really fun to spend hours making delicious food from scratch, seeing and tasting how amazing it is after all the time spent on it. It doesn't even have to be something super fancy, yet so many people these days just get frozen foods, bagged foods, pre-made cookie dough, etc. and it grosses me out, haha. Tonight I am making delicious burgers that have been marinating in a teriyaki sauce for two days, sweet and salty brown sticky rice, some type of veggie (not sure yet) and then dessert is homemade banana pudding and I'm going to make homemade whipped cream to put on top! :) yummmm I cannot wait. The banana pudding at Magnolia Bakery in NYC is my favorite in the whole world, so I'll see how close I can get mine :) I have fresh blackberries and strawberries in the fridge, so I'll have to make some whipped cream for those too.

I had a gorgeous, although a bit windy, 25 mile ride this morning. Now it's time for some core work and then getting ready for dinner..woo hoo! :)

Quotes for today: "Happiness is a choice. You can either choose to be happy or not" and: "When the going gets tough, the tough get tougher" :)

Good times :)

2010-05-26T09:40:00.007-07:00

AHHHH tonight at midnight I get to see my favorite girls from Sex and the City in their second movie and I am sooooo excited!! I met Kristin Davis in NYC a month ago and she was so nice and great to talk to. She told me all about their appearances and events they had to do for the movie and watching the preview/trailer makes me ecstatic to see it. :) :)

Training has been pretty good and I have been really great with my core and strength work 6 days per week. I love blasting music and getting it done every day for an hour. My body is gonna look amazing when it's time to hit the beach in Cabo in July with my girls!! :) :)

I rode Lemmon for the fourth time this past Sunday and it was great. It was really fun to listen to my music and get up the mountain just as fast as I did the third time, and this time there were BAD winds. On the descent a few times, the wind blew me clear across the lane of traffic and I was kinda scared I might get thrown over the guard rail on the side. Thank goodness I made it down safe and sound :) My Rachel cookie and coffee at the top were the best ever....the cookie was super warm, delicious and fresh. I saved half of it for my drive home. It was colder at the top of the mountain this time around compared to the last time I did it, yet I relaxed on the patio in the sun for a while and managed to stay somewhat warm. I am not sure when I will head to Tucson for the 5th climb, but probably in 2 weeks I'll go for it and try to climb a few minutes faster.

Everything outside of training continues to be fun and entertaining. I have many parties to go to each weekend with great people who are an absolute blast to be around, so that gets me excited. Last weekend I went to a pool party and we had a great time relaxing, drinking and watching beer pong tournaments. Unfortunately Mo Train and I couldn't run the table like we did last time, lol :) His partner was my bro and they lost....twice in a row, HAHA....I love playing....reminds me of all the good times I had at Duke with the incredibly fun student athletes.

2.5 more weeks of nothing but non-stop fun and I'm going to appreciate every day of it. These next few weeks I am also looking at my long range plan and goals for myself and what I truly want to focus on and train for, to be the best athlete I can be....we'll see what I come up with :)

Great quote: "Do one thing every day that scares you"- Eleanor Roosevelt

"Cross training"...

2010-05-21T16:54:00.001-07:00

Do I want to bike lately? NO. Do I want to go stare at blue tiles on the bottom of a pool lately? NO. Do I want to blare music and beat the crap out of my brother’s speed bag??? YESSS ☺ This morning I asked him to fix the damn thing (he hit it too hard and for too long recently that he literally ripped part of out of the wall), haha I love it. I’m going to have him teach me how to hit it so that when I am frustrated, stressed or just want to get pumped up, I can go into our workout room and just go to town ☺

I’m almost done with week 3 of no running and I am just mad lately. I’m mad I decided to move a 40 lb. box last May, down the stairs, while barefoot, and proceeded to trip over one of my dogs and fall, landing on my heel. Within 2 weeks I had my injury that I’m currently trying to heal. I’m mad I decided to run the morning after I fell, and after only 5 hours of sleep. I’m mad I moved boxes up and down 3 flights of stairs in Oregon with old running shoes on my precious feet; my precious feet that must stay healthy for me to make a living. I’m mad I didn’t listen to my body the day I had to run almost 2 hours, the afternoon I arrived in Oregon after driving for 24 hours and about 3 of it was sleep. I’m mad and regretful of my stupid mistakes I made exactly one year ago. I wish I could go back and change them. I try to tell myself what my physical therapists at Endurance Rehab tell me…”Your bone spur could have already been there before all of that, and your injury could have happened eventually no matter what” ….I’m not convinced, clearly.

Who wants to hear about sad, depressing complaints though? No one…because truly NO ONE really cares if you are having a bad day, week, month or year. In fact I can think of a lot of people that would probably be happy to hear someone else is unhappy. Misery loves company. In the end, all you have is yourself anyway…it’s up to YOU to determine how your life goes…for the better or for the worse.

Biking doesn’t make me feel better. Swimming doesn’t make me feel better. However blasting my favorite rap music while driving and hopefully soon, hitting a speed bag until my hands ache, will make me feel better ☺ Spending time with fun, positive people always makes me feel better. My dogs that I love more than life itself make me feel better. The beach makes me feel better. Cooking and baking make me feel better. Going out dancing makes me feel better. Good food and good beer make me feel better. For the next 3 weeks and two days, I will be doing all of the above, (maybe some all combined into one trip somewhere) I’ll bike and swim only when I feel like it and when it’s time to put my feet back out on the roads, I know damn well I’ll feel muuuuuch better ☺

Wonderful quote and so applicable right now: “You become what you think about”. Damn straight. ☺

On the flip side...

2010-05-19T19:49:00.004-07:00

I can’t even express in words how grateful I am to all the people who have supported me in athletics from when I was a tiny little super fast swimmer, short-lived soccer player, triathlete and of course forever a runner ☺ Doing triathlons and running professionally take up most of my time these days and part of my reward is the wonderful feeling of having a support crew (up to 7 of us once going to Cancun☺) sitting next to me on the plane or arriving from other destinations to simply….watch me RACE. Somehow they enjoy getting up early, dealing with me if I am tense and nervous and in a bad mood ;), running around on the course cheering (or hopping on subways all over the 5 boroughs of NYC), standing in the sun (or freeeeezing cold), pouring hurricane rains (Cancun) waiting…and waiting…and waiting…until I am finally done. Ironically, 3 of my biggest career highlights, winning the first ever ACC Women’s Individual title in Cross Country for Duke, winning my first National Championship in 2009 and recently winning the More Fitness Women’s Half Marathon in NYC, none of my family or incredibly special people in my life were there to see any of them. Of course there are great people on the sidelines cheering, friends or acquaintances, etc. yet none of my immediate family or anyone super close to me were there to watch and celebrate. Maybe it allowed me to channel all of my nerves and emotions into the task at hand…go for it, balls to the wall ☺

Not running or racing right now doesn’t fuel that super competitive, fierce desire I have to go out and really make my body hurt. Therefore, going to watch someone race gives me that excitement and I really love it. I got to watch my sister race about a week and a half ago; she had one good race and her second one was really motivating. She raced really strong and made moves when I yelled at her; it got me so pumped up ☺

A quote I saw recently that I really liked…”Winners are too busy to be sad, too positive to be doubtful, too optimistic to be fearful, and too determined to be defeated”

My pic: my awesome support crew from my half Ironman in California.

Almost two weeks down...4 more to go...

2010-05-13T16:29:00.001-07:00

Much like dealing with any “stressful” situation in life, there are stages to gradually feeling normal or calm. With these 6 weeks (and hopefully not more) of time off from my running, I am sure I am going to go through a range of emotions. I am on day 11 of no running and once I go past the day 14 mark, it will be the second longest break from running, EVER. IN. MY. LIFE. The last time was over 3 years ago at Duke when I had a stress reaction in my femur and I couldn’t run for 6 weeks. I ended up coming back in time to run a very mediocre 10k at the NCAA championships, and two weeks later the WORST 10k of my life at the USA Track Championships in Indianapolis.

Right now I am in what I will call the “acceptance” phase of my time off, and sprinkle that with a very decreased level of motivation to do anything but have fun, not sleep much, drink a lot of beer and maybe swim and bike whenever I feel like it, HAHA J The only thing I am doing a good job of is my core and strength work about 6 days a week, even if it means waking up at 4:30 to get it done in time to go teach.

After the More Fitness NYC Half Marathon, I decided to go race the Bloomsday 12k in Spokane, Washington. My body was sore and tired every day during the week leading up to the race and I finally felt pretty good on my two mile run + strides the day before the race. During the race, I felt alright, yet it was much colder and windier than in 2009. My time was MUCH slower, 41:56 compared to 40:15 the year prior. I was able to manage 11^th place overall and first American, so I was satisfied and I hope next year I can run faster again. It was frustrating to see that if I had run the same time (40:15) this year, I would have been about 5^th overall! Haha However I had a great time in Spokane, just like last year. The hotel, hospitality suite, brunch, dinner, course tour and post-race food and drinks were fantastic. I love going to Bloomsday and I look forward to going again next year. J

The last time I was on Mr. Specialized was May 6^th, when I went to Tucson again to climb Mt. Lemmon. I did the climb in 2:18 (with a strong headwind for a lot of it) and 1:04 on the descent. I was pretty happy considering the weather and the fact I hadn’t been on my bike in over a week, ha. Last time I swam was this past Monday, in a lap pool at a nice resort in Scottsdale, and then proceeded to relax and people watch afterward….clearly a very serious swim session ;)

Part of the reason I am not stressing too much about my lack of training the past two weeks is because I am teaching almost every day and I am just busy in general. I have not slept more than 6.5 hours the last 8 nights, and quite frankly I just don’t care that much. Now, starting in two weeks when I won’t be working for the summer (at least that’s my plan for now), then heck yes I will be working my booty off J I have written up almost all of my training for the next 21 weeks leading up to Kona and I plan to run in the Women’s USA Marathon Championships in NYC 4 weeks after Kona, so I have to balance everything well, and be ready to go hard again after Kona J Kona marathon goal: 2:50….NYC Marathon goal: 2:29 J I have a feeling after Kona I’ll think running a marathon alone will be easy as pie compared to after running in the lava fields J yet that’s coming from a runner….most triathletes I am sure would disagree with me, haha.

Weather in Phoenix lately has been heavenly!!! I just LOVE LOVE LOVE it….It’s definitely not as hot as last year at this time. Most days are in the 80’s and we had a few last week in the mid to upper 90’s. In the mornings though, it’s cool, in the 60’s, and as soon as teaching is done I can’t wait to get out there and train in the cooler temps J

One of my favorite quotes of all time that I try to live by every single day: "Life is too short to wake up in the morning with regrets. So love the people who treat you right, forget about the ones who don't, and believe that everything happens for a reason. If you get a chance, take it. If it changes your life, let it. Nobody said that it'd be easy; they just promised it'd be worth it."

Don't Stop Believing...

2010-04-30T09:18:00.004-07:00

My brother absolutely loves Journey’s song “Don’t Stop Believing”, and whenever I hear it on my iPod I think of him. It’s a great song and it came into my mind during the More Fitness Women’s Half Marathon on Sunday. After Colleen DeReuck pulled away from me at mile 3 and eventually had about a 100 meter gap on me, there were times when I definitely settled and figured “well I’m racing for 2^nd place”. Suddenly, on the east side of the park, between about mile 7 and 8 I realized I was running too comfortable and decided I needed to try and catch her. I figured I had nothing to lose, assuming 3^rd place was far enough behind me, that if I blew up, at least I did it while in gut wrenching pain. J Immediately “Don’t Stop Believing” came into my head and I kept repeating it over and over as I gradually closed the gap.

The entire morning reminded me all too well of the USA 25k champs in Grand Rapids, Michigan last May. It was a super cold, rainy morning and with about 4.5 miles left in the race I made a move and pulled away to win, running the last 4.5 miles in a LOT of pain, grinding it out to the finish line in the rain. In Central Park, around mile 9, with 4 miles to go, I pulled even to Colleen, said “great job Colleen” and made a move. For the remaining 4.1 miles I had no clue if she was 2, 20 or 45 seconds behind me, because all the women in the race, running on the inside to my left on the road, did an unbelievable job cheering and screaming my name. I knew I couldn’t look back to check where Colleen was, so I kept throwing in hard surges, especially on the downhill stretches. Eventually I looked behind me, just to be sure, as I rounded the corner to the finish line and I didn’t see Colleen. It was such an incredible feeling to win my first major road race, the biggest all women’s half marathon in the country J Yes, I won the 25k national championships last year, yet one foreigner beat me by a few seconds so technically I did not win the women’s race.

The weekend in NYC was quick yet really fun as usual. New York Road Runners (NYRR), More Fitness Magazine and Lady Speed Stick impressed me and put on a fabulous event. At the pre-race pasta dinner at the Hard Rock Hotel in Times Square, Ann from the NYRR introduced me with a few recent accomplishments, and then she paused and told everyone how she was so impressed with the fact that I had also just qualified for Kona. J It made me smile and I thought about how many people told me I couldn’t run professionally AND do triathlons at the same time. It got me very excited for Kona, especially that 2:56 run course world record J Alot of women came up to me and asked me all kinds of things about triathlon. I told them I don’t know THAT much, but appreciated their support, admiration and hopefully it will get more women involved in triathlon.

On race morning, seeing thousands of women out there pushing themselves so hard on a cold, rainy Sunday morning made me so happy to be out there with them! I have never had such great support from other people during a race; I could not have run so well that second loop in the park if I hadn’t had their support J My morning was made even more terrific when I got to meet Kristen Davis from Sex and the City!!!! She was at the race cheering and then helped hand out awards. I talked to her for a while about the new movie coming out in a few weeks and asked her if she runs like she does on the show, lol. She was super sweet and I was so incredibly excited that I got to meet her. I cannot wait for the second movie to come out!! There are photos, video of the race, etc. on the NYRR website...www.nyrr.org if you want to look, watch, etc.

After the More Fitness Half, I decided to go and race Bloomsday again in Spokane, Washington. I really really loved this race last year and I had such an amazing time with the race crew, other athletes, etc. so I am excited to go back. I hope to have just as good, if not better race than I did last year. The course is hilly and challenging….perfect for me J I will be thinking of the post-race beer, pizza and massages in the hospitality suite that we all enjoyed soooo much last year. I’m getting pumped to say the least…

I am not sure what my plans will entail from here on out. My plan to take time off may be put on the backburner for a bit, since I am have been able to run pretty darn well off 20-40 miles per week the past three months. There are some races and goals I would like to accomplish through the end of June before I settle down for a few weeks. Taking time off from running in July in Phoenix…sounds just fine for me, lol J For any of you out there that want to truly know my mileage the past 10 weeks…here it is:

27.24, 35.9, 24.23, 41.4, 52.94 (NYC half race week), 28.52 (Oceanside Half Ironman race week), 32.76, 34.48, 27.57, 54.37 (More Fitness ½ Marathon race week)

Biking and swimming has been going pretty well. I have only done both about once per week lately but it’s great to get out there and do it. I have continued my core routines each day as well, and I definitely know that they help me so much. I can feel a difference, especially in my hamstrings and gluteus muscles when I haven’t done the sessions in a few days, after traveling to a race for instance.

Endurance Rehabilitation still helps me so incredibly much; I could never thank them enough for all they do for me. They are so supportive of my goals and help me make big decisions on races and what is best for my foot, etc. It’s nice to have people to give me professional feedback.

I am so grateful to Sole Sports Running Zone, Triple Sports and Marathon Guide for all the support they give me. When I wear their logos and represent them at races, I am so proud to be sponsored by such great companies. I love going into Sole Sports and Triple Sports and having so many awesome products to choose from with such friendly and fun employees working at both stores. I always look forward to it J

One of my favorite quotes in the world...: "Your treasure- your perfection- is within you already. But to claim it, you must leave the busy commotion of the mind and abandon the desires of the ego and enter into the silence of the heart"- Eat, Pray, Love

New stuff is always fun :)

2010-04-20T19:43:00.005-07:00

I received some awesome new Brooks clothing in the mail yesterday and all of it is so adorable! I can't wait to wear it in NYC this coming weekend. I really love the women's Epiphany running shorts and the PR Mesh Skort. The Epiphany bra top is also my new favorite...super comfortable and cute :)
I received a book in the mail yesterday that I have already become obsessed with...."Their Effort Was Like Toothpaste: a Story of Trophies Won and Life Changed" by Geoffrey Owers. My coach in high school has written a fabulous book about his life changing years as a coach at Mountain Pointe High School (my alma mater, obviously). I ordered it online and I cannot put it down. I have decided to save it though, for my 5.5 hour flight to NYC on Friday morning at the crack of dawn ;) If you are a big fan of running related (and VERY inspiring) books, I would recommend ordering it. You can purchase it through this website and by searching for it through the title or his name. http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/their-effort-was-like-toothpaste-a-story-of-trophies-won-and-life-changed/10264742?productTrackingContext=center_search_results
I am going to start writing a new quote that I love at the bottom of each of my blogs, that has either affected me recently in some way or another. Here is mine for today :)
"This is my wish for you: comfort on difficult days, smiles when sadness intrudes, rainbows to follow the clouds, laughter to kiss your lips, sunsets to warm your heart, hugs when spirits sag, friendships to brighten your being, beauty for your eyes to see, faith so that you can believe, confidence for when you doubt, courage to know yourself, patience to accept the truth, love to complete your life" --anonymous

Lil update :)

2010-04-13T19:07:00.003-07:00

Running training is going well and I am looking forward to the More 1/2 Marathon in New York City on April 25th!! I always love racing in NYC and this time I will be going by myself to the city (for the first time), so it will be a good chance to explore and relax for a couple days. :) I am so excited to do an all women's 1/2 marathon because I have never done an all women's race and this one is about over 10,000 women!! I hope I run super fast too, because after running a loop in Central Park during the NYC 1/2 Marathon back on March 21st, I really think it's a great course suited for my strengths.
I continue to go to Endurance Rehab to get treatment on my foot and it seems like I am making some progress. Once I can take time off and not run on it at all, I have been told it will heal quickly and that the inflammation will go down, etc. I am so sick of the pain, and when I can train at full strength I will probably cry tears of joy instead of sadness like I have been lately!! grrr :(
I am getting more and more excited for Kona too! I have my days where I get nervous about whether I will do as well as I hope, but I have to tell myself to take it one training SESSION (literally) at a time. When I have 4-5 hours + of working out on a given day, I can't worry about the third session, before I even get out of bed, haha :) So far things are going great, and doing things like climbing Lemmon get me extremely excited. I look forward to focusing on the bike and swim when I am taking some time off from running. Swimming in an outdoor pool under the sun makes me more excited to swim, so this summer I plan to be at an outdoor pool as much as possible!
I want to thank my sponsors for their continued support. There is no way I could be doing what I am doing right now without your help! Triple Sports, MarathonGuide.com, Brooks, GU and Endurance Rehab...you all are the best and I love representing all of you on a daily basis!! I hope I continue to do amazing things as an athlete for you!! :)

Amazing March :)

2010-04-02T20:31:00.003-07:00

Gosh where do I begin...March was so incredible in so many ways. It started with the life-changing triathlon camp and it culminated in a qualification to go race at the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii on October 9, 2010. After my half marathon/sprint tri double racing weekend on March 6-7th, I worked super diligently for two weeks straight before the NYC 1/2 Marathon on March 21st. I stayed in my routine, worked out anywhere between 3.5-5.5 hours per day swimming, biking, running and doing core work. It paid off immensely in NYC, where I placed 9th in my second best ever time (on a very hilly course), 1:13:58. I came away from the race very happy and elated that I raced so well, off of literally 20-40 miles of running per week, the 6 weeks leading up to the race. I couldn't believe how EASY it felt in the race until about the 11th mile. I was running 5:30's and 5:20's and I hadn't run that fast in a race or workout in a long time!! Therefore, considering everything I've been going through with my running and bone spur, I was pretty darn happy :)

Fast forward to the next weekend, on March 27th, the Oceanside 70.3 Triathlon. I had been looking forward to this race since I signed up last August. There were times I didn't think I should go because I didn't feel ready, yet I said "screw it" and I decided to go for it and just have FUN. I didn't sleep well at all the night before and had a very "non-routine" lead up week, since I got back from New York at 11 pm Monday night and left for California Tues mid day. I spent a few days with my Aunt, Uncle and cousins an hour from Oceanside, and drove down to Oceanside on Thursday afternoon. Anyway, race morning I had been up essentially since 1:45, tossing and turning and a bit nervous for what I had ahead of me. I was the most nervous for the swim, and possibly getting kicked in the face, etc. After some toast, a Power bar and my GU Cran Apple and Strawberry Chomps, we headed to the transition zone. I got to transition, realized I left my bike Garmin at the condo, and my running Garmin had 10% battery. It was time for just an old school regular timex with my entire race time going the whole way.

The swim went smoothly and I was really annoyed when our age group started passing a bunch of masses of people who had started in waves ahead of us. I'm pretty sure I lost at least two minutes swimming over, through and around people. I got on my bike as fast as I could and got going in a great groove. I was passing tons of people and even on the HUGE hills, I was up out of my seat and just going as hard as I could. The bike went pretty fast and the last 11 miles were basically completely flat, and I continued to pass people like they were standing still. Fuel wise, I drank my new favorite GU Brew Blueberry Pomegranate Electrolyte drink with 2x Sodium, and also ate a Mint Chocolate GU with about 15 miles left in the bike. They both helped me a lot yet I think I should have had more gels or more of my drink. Now I know for next time! I was super excited to get off my bike and run people down :) I threw on my Sole Sports visor since it was so warm and sunny and I took off like a bat outta hell down the boardwalk :) After the swim I was 22nd in my age group...after the bike I was 8th..and after the run I was 1st. My run time was decent but I wanted it to be faster...it was a 1:21 yet I think I may have lost some time weaving in and out of people on the narrow race course. Overall, I was 14th female, 2nd Amateur and my total time was 4:45:07... at the awards ceremony I decided to take my Kona slot.

When I was about 13 or 14 I remember standing in my family's living room watching the Ironman World Championships on TV. I was awe-struck at what the athletes were doing. I just couldn't even fathom biking 112 miles and then running a marathon. (At the time I was still swimming on swim team so the swim didn't seem bad-2.4 miles)...Yet I told myself "I am going to do that someday. I am going to compete there"....well, this October I'll be there....and these next 6 months I am going to sacrifice, sweat, and push myself harder than I EVER have in my life...and that 2:56 Ironman World Champs run course record is going down baby :)

8 days of pain!!

2010-03-07T12:41:00.004-07:00

WOW, where do I start?! 8 days ago, on Feb 27th, I woke up at 4:45 am and headed to Tucson for 6 full days of intense triathlon training camp. Day one left me thinking "I DON'T belong here, what am I doing?!"...yet as the days went on I tried to stay positive, learn as much as possible and get fitter. We rode our bikes more than anything else, which was fantastic considering that is where I am the weakest right now. My running was really strong and swimming was decent, yet it was obvious I made the most gains on the bike and I definitely got so much more comfortable/confident on it. I had never ridden in a group before either, so practicing that helped me not have so much anxiety being right near other people, their wheels, etc.

I rode my first 100 miler on Tues of the camp and it was crazy (and also 40 miles longer than any ride I had ever done!)...the total time we were all out on our bikes riding, stopping, etc. was about 7 hours. My 100.5 miles I averaged 17.4 mph which I thought was fine, and afterward I ran 5 miles averaging 6:09's. It was a hard day. The great reward was a group dinner to Oregano's later in the evening :p Thursday was the last and final ridiculous workout of the entire camp. We climbed all the way to the top of Mount Lemmon!!! 25 miles, 6 thousand feet of climbing (up to 8200 feet) and giant delicious cookies and coffee awaited us at the top...At one point I didn't think I was going to make it all the way to the top. My quads were definitely burning, but I tried to take it mile by mile, get up out of the saddle a little bit and kept thinking about how proud of myself I would be if I made it to the top. Paul Cross, one of the the coaches leading the camp, helped me get through the last few miles, encouraged me, etc. and it was awesome. Descending down the mountain was INCREDIBLE. Tons of snow covered the last 10 miles of the mountain or so...it was funny to be in the 70's at the bottom and around 40 degrees at the top! Seeing the whole city of Tucson and the beautiful views made me realize it was probably the greatest athletic experience of my life to date :) Marathons of course area always a great experience, yet the pain from Lemmon was nothing like I have ever experienced, ha.

Next up: 2 races this weekend. Yesterday I ran in the Run For Ryan House half marathon and it was a terrific race! I was really impressed with the staff, the course, the post-race food, awards, etc. I ran the race as a workout due to my legs still being tired from camp, and I averaged 6:11's, so it was good. The first half of the race is uphill, so coming down the main hilly road, you could see the city of Phoenix/Scottsdale, the gorgeous mountains and some hot air balloons sprinkled around the sky. So awesome :)

This morning I raced my first triathlon in 2.5 years and it was my first sprint tri. (600m swim, 12 mi bike and 3.4 mi run)...My time was 1:04:04 and I am not sure on all my splits but I know I ran 5:40 pace for the run and averaged 20.7 mph on the bike. My quads were still fatigued from camp and the half marathon yesterday, haha. It was so fun to race a tri again and practice racing in a wetsuit, which I have never done, and get into that routine of transition areas. Now I am even more excited for Oceanside!!

I have two weeks before the NYC half marathon..woooo hoo!!! I am so excited to go to the city again and hopefully have a new PR :) My foot hurts pretty bad, but all I am thinking about is getting through March 27th and then it's time to take some weeks off from running, get tons of treatment and focus on some other things that I have always wanted to work on as an athlete.

The picture is from the end of the ride up Mt. Lemmon, at the top where we stopped for cookies and coffee. :p

Staying Positive!! :)

2010-02-18T21:29:00.003-07:00

The past couple weeks I have had some major ups and downs, yet the only thing I can do is keep working hard and moving forward. One great day was last Saturday when I won the Tempe Skirt Chaser 5k for the third year in a row. I ran a pretty good time (17:05) while not racing completely all out. I felt strong and really liked the course this year, going over the Mill Ave Bridge, down Curry, and back to finish in the Tempe Beach Park. Red Rock Co. puts on some great events and the Skirt Chaser race is one that I plan to do every year if possible! It’s super fun to have a different type of race as well, where the women get a 3 minute head start on the men and whoever crosses the line first wins the cash and some other great goodies J

A difficult, yet smart decision that I had to make this week was to not race the marathon I had planned to do this coming weekend. My bone spur in my foot has flared up pretty bad again so I have opted to continue training and be ready for all the other important things I have coming up in March and beyond. I raced the Twin Cities Marathon last October with my injury and not being at full strength going into a marathon is never a very good idea, especially with this one because it wasn’t going to be an “A” race by any means. Mentally it’s very draining to try and prepare and get excited about 26.2 miles when you know that you are only going to do more damage to an existing injury. My long-term career is extremely important to me, so I have to continue to make smart decisions regarding racing. Although difficult, it makes me proud of myself that I can hold back and not put so much pressure on myself to race, simply because I had it on my schedule.

I have four important races coming up in March and all of them will challenge me in different ways. A great local race, the Run For Ryan House (http://www.ryanhouse.org/node/131) I am racing the half marathon on March 6^th up in DC Ranch in North Scottsdale. The race is for charity, the Ryan House, newly built up in DC Ranch. The house will be for children with illnesses and provide assistance and housing to the children and their families, in various ways. Read more about the house here: http://www.ryanhouse.org/about

I am very excited to be the “headline” athlete and race really hard for such a great local charity. I have personally met Ryan, his parents and his adorable dog, so I will be thinking about them while I am racing J

The next day, March 7^th, I am racing at the Firebird Triathlon here in Arizona. It’s a sprint distance, held out at Firebird raceway and I have never raced a sprint distance tri. I am excited to finally do a “rust-burner” triathlon after not racing in one for about 2.5 years. (WOW time flies!) I will feel so much better racing a tri before I go race my heart out at Oceanside 2 weeks later, especially because I can practice swimming in a wetsuit for the first time! I am so happy Oceanside won’t be my first time racing in a wetsuit. I look forward to getting my wetsuit from Triple Sports and have them help me pick out a great one with their incredible expertise!

March 21^st I have the great privilege of racing in the New York City Half Marathon. I am extremely excited to go to New York again. I have not visited in a long time and one of my great friends lives in the area as well. I raced the NYC marathon in 2008, and they put on a great event, and therefore I look forward to another wonderful experience and hopefully a new personal best in the half marathon. It used to be in the heat of August, and now in March I am sure it will provide a prime setting for a new PR. It will be fantastic to have my mom on the sidelines yelling for me and then afterward we can enjoy the city, delicious food and amaaaazing shopping! J

Last, but not least, I will race Oceanside on March 27^th. It’s an official Ironman 70.3 series event (70.3 is the total number of miles you swim, bike and run). I hope I race incredibly well and very strong. The time I am putting in on my new bike (see picture) J and the triathlon camp I am doing in Tucson from Feb 27^th-March 4^th will likely get my booty in awesome shape! I am working harder and harder in the pool as well, so I think all my swim, bike, run will come together well in Oceanside.

First race of 2010...

2010-02-06T16:17:00.002-07:00

I raced my first race of the year this morning and it felt good to get in a competitive effort. It was a 10k in Texas, and the course was a bit long, 6.3 instead of 6.2, and there was a strong headwind the last 3 miles. My time was not fast for me at all, 35:19, yet considering the circumstances and the fact that I have been doing mostly marathon work, I am satisfied for now. It was fun to wear the MarathonGuide.com logo proudly, for the first time. I have the Tempe Skirtchaser race on Feb. 13th, so I hope to defend my title with a third win this year :) They usually put on a fun event so I am looking forward to it. I am enjoying the sunshine of Texas and relaxing before an early flight back to Phoenix tomorrow morning. I am super excited to see my three boys, Wilbur, Barney and Winston, and get back in my routine.

I am very excited because I just bought my first TT bike (time trial/triathlon) bike, last week!! It's the Specialized Transition Comp, and I love it so far. I have hardly been on it because I am still getting the seat post cut and also having Endurance Rehab fit me on it perfectly. It feels a little overwhelming to think that I made this huge decision but ultimately I believe it will make a big difference during my half Ironman in the end of March (Oceanside). My road bike is ok for short rides, but I am not super comfortable on it. I really have to thank Triple Sports in Scottsdale for helping me get the Specialized bike and supporting me so much with all my triathlon goals. The staff at the store is fantastic and always super helpful!

The bone spur in my heel has been acting up again, so I have been running less, and biking and swimming more. I plan to run about 4 days per week up until Oceanside and hope that it helps my foot calm down. If it's not healed by the end of March I will evaluate what to do, even if it means taking off multiple weeks in a row. Let's hope that doesn't happen, but I'll wait and see and hope for the best. Of course Endurance Rehab continues to help me, any way that they can, and I appreciate it immensely.

I am excited to see how things continue to go for me in 2010. It's hard to believe that it's already into February. Time flies faster every single year. I want this year to be fun and full of decisions that I make for myself, not based off what others tell me or what I think others want me to do. Last year when I sought advice from too many outside people, rather than listening to my gut, I didn't have the results I wanted and I started to not enjoy competing anymore. I am sure having the foot injury didn't help, because that was always in the back of my mind. However this year I want to go after goals and dreams that are personal and I know I will feel fulfilled, regardless of the outcome, because it will be a year of my own desires and decisions.

Overall, things are going well. Sub teaching is fine and I am at least grateful I have the opportunity to have a job each day if I want. However I am realizing more and more each day that with time flying by so fast and the women's olympic marathon trials most likely coming in the fall of 2011, every single day, week and month matter so much if I want to be in the hunt for a spot on the 2012 marathon team. Decisions I make starting now, will affect my long term development over the next 21 months!!

Well, I will post a pic of me with my new bike as soon as I take one...have a great weekend everyone!

Ranked #9 in the country! :)

2010-01-18T10:44:00.005-07:00

2010 is off to a good start so far, and the Letsrun.com marathon rankings at the end of 2009 gave me some great motivation for the year! I put the link at the bottom of this post.

I am ranked as the ninth best female marathoner in the country and hopefully by the end of 2010 I'll be in the top 5. After 2008 I was ranked tenth, so one place higher is a small improvement and better than falling lower, right? The rankings made me realize how much potential I have to improve in the marathon, given my low mileage and being pretty new to the event. My average mileage, even after taking out weeks off last year, was 59 miles per week! Many top female marathoners are running 100+ miles week after week. As my mileage increases and I keep putting in the hard work, I know my marathon time will improve so much. It really excites me to think about what I can accomplish in the event, and makes me proud to say that I am considered one of the ten best marathoners in the United States. :)

Some other great news for this year is that I am now sponsored by Brooks! I am so excited because I love their clothing and shoes. Their women's Trance has helped my arch and bone spur so much. It's incredibly hard to find a shoe that comes with a good insert, so the Trance 9 has been amazing for me. I don't like bulky orthotics either, so it's great. They are cushioned very well too, while also having great stability and some flexibility in the forefoot. Love 'em :) I can't wait to get my Brooks uniform in the mail and wear it proudly, along with my other sponsors' logos!

Training has been going well lately and I think things are finally coming around for me. I was not feeling very great recently and I thought my iron was low or something was wrong. My iron results came back great and I am also feeling a little better on my runs, so I am seeing some progress. I think it was just a matter of not being in as great of shape as I thought. I look forward to racing some shorter races in February to assess my fitness level again, since I have not raced a "serious" race since the Las Vegas 1/2 marathon back on December 6th, after only 11 days of running! I assume the next race will be better and I'll have some more realistic feedback. My mileage was about 80 last week, with one day off and only one double day, yet I feel great and my body seems to be fine after everything I did. I am doing longer runs at a pretty good pace, so I know those are making me stronger.

I continue to get treatment done to my foot with the bone spur, and I recently did a full evaluation with them, and now have some glute, hip, hamstring and transverse ab exercises that I have to do whenever I am up there. It feels great to make these steps toward working on things where I am weak. I know it will pay off as the months go on. I definitely need to get my butt and hamstrings stronger because I am so quad dominant, and my hamstrings and butt get tired the fastest in a marathon, ha.

Well, all for now...one quote I love that I have been telling myself more and more lately if I ever doubt myself is....."You become what you think about".........:)

http://www.letsrun.com/2009/09ranksmarw1201.php

GO Team Marathonguide.com!!

2010-01-05T20:38:00.004-07:00

I am so excited and happy to say that I have another new sponsor!! Marathonguide.com has started sponsoring me for 2010 and I am so extremely grateful for their support and faith in me as an athlete. Their website is incredible and offers so much more than a list of marathons, half marathons, etc. They have racing news, quick searches by name, race name, all time best marathon times and more. I haven't ever seen such a great website compile so many races all over not only the United States, but internationally as well! I cannot wait to proudly wear the Team Marathonguide.com logo on my racing singlet and training gear. :)

My training has been going pretty well lately. I have started to do some really hard workouts and my foot (bone spur) is holding up well. I am so happy that I am able to train right now and every single day that I am pain free, even if I didn't feel very good during the run or workout, all I think is "well thank goodness my foot is still doing ok- that's the most important thing". I did a 2 hour and 10 minute run on Sunday and averaged 6:35 pace. I carried 20 oz of my delicious lemon lime GU electrolyte drink and two Jet Blackberry 2x Caffeine GU gels; I swear the gels saved my legs each time I ate one! It was also almost 70 degrees and sunny outside so I wouldn't have been able to finish without the drinks. Doing the run at the pace my coach gave me, made me really proud of myself because I was nervous going into it.

Yesterday was a fantastic day off from running and I did my strength training/core routine followed by 3k in the pool later in the afternoon. The swimming of course felt great and I can't believe how much more stretched out I felt afterward! Today I had another really hard workout of 85 minutes total running with 12x3 min at 5:40 pace and 2 min recovery between each at 7:10 pace. I hit the first few a little under 5:40 pace and a few in the low 5:40's. Eventually my paces got to the mid 5:40's and then into the 5:50's, yet my recovery was also slowing down. I started to get frustrated and freak out but I kept my emotions under control by trying to focus on each 3 minute repeat in the moment, and work on my form and breathing. I got through it and it felt amazing to take an "ice bath" in the pool at my parent's house afterward. :)

Anyway, things are off to a great start in 2010. I am feeling fatigued a lot lately though so I am going to get my iron and hemoglobin tested this week to see if it's low. I set a record at Duke about 2.5 years ago when my ferritin was up to about 150!!!!HAHA... So I am hoping it's not super low right now...I guess I'll know soon enough, and hope for the best.

Thinking ahead...

2009-12-30T20:14:00.002-07:00

2010 is about to start and I cannot believe another year has come and gone. 2009 went by the fastest of any year for me thus far. It seems like just yesterday I was starting my "season" back in March; I think all the racing I did throughout the entire summer and into my fall marathon made the time go by even faster. I am still in the process of mapping out 2010 and deciding on races. My problem tends to be that I want to race almost every weekend because I'd rather race than do workouts, haha. Yet when racing involves so much traveling I know I need to scale it back. What I love about road racing is that there are so many great ones to choose from and of course there are those that I LOVE and want to go back again and again! I am sure I'll plan on certain races and things will come up or change along the way, yet I am excited to get things more finalized. I will probably plan things out in shorter blocks of time due to my race goals and managing my foot and heel spur issue that sometimes comes and goes.

I am so grateful for my sponsorships with Sole Sports Running Zone, GU Energy, Endurance Rehabilitation and Triple Sports. Without the help and support from all of them I would surely not be able to do what I love every single day!! Of course I have to thank the Road Runners Club of America for their support as well, the past two years :)

I'm extremely excited because GU has a new delicious flavor out called Jett Blackberry with 2x Caffeine and it tastes so good!! I love that it has two times the caffeine as the regular vanilla bean GUs I eat during my marathons because sometimes I feel I need a little bit more of a "boost". The Espresso Love flavor also has 2x Caffeine yet I can't always eat something that tastes like coffee so late in a race :) I continue to be impressed with the new flavors they develop. Vanilla Gingerbread, their new holiday flavor, was a nice tasty treat this fall and winter as well!

I had a conversation with a good friend the other night about the "pressures" I tend to put on myself in so many aspects of life. I tend to be too serious about my future and worry all the time about how things are going to work out, whether I'll be as successful as I want and just worry if I am making the "right" decisions. She told me that I need to be OK with following my dreams and pursuing what I love, and not look too far ahead. This upcoming year I want to focus more on the present and take small steps toward improving and achieving my goals. I set personal bests in all but maybe 2 races in 2009 and I'm hoping to do the same in 2010, maybe even have an amazing break through marathon :)

So here's to 2010 ....continue to LOVE what I do, be grateful for my lifestyle, focus on each day, week and upcoming race, and to smile and enjoy both the ups and downs of the sport....because I SURELY wouldn't know how much I love running if it weren't for setbacks along the way.

Las Vegasss :)

2009-12-13T13:19:00.002-07:00

My race in Las Vegas left me feeling really happy and positive about the coming year. After only running for 11 days prior to the half marathon, I was able to run a 1:16:41 and felt completely in control the whole way. I haven't run anywhere near that pace since my last marathon (Twin Cities) a couple months ago. I think my swimming and strength training helped me stay in pretty good shape. It was extremely cold the morning of the race and I had an entire small tub of vaseline on my upper legs and still felt pretty cold! My nose and face also were numb and burning even after I finished, haha :) Anyway, being in Vegas and experiencing the inaugural race with all the pre and post race entertainment definitely was a nice treat. My favorite thing was seeing the white tigers at the start line! They were up in cages and I was taking pictures of them up until 5 minutes before my race started, LOL. Gorgeous animals! I celebrated my birthday with a ton of fun people on Sunday night and definitely brought in my 26th birthday with a bang :)

I was only home for three days before I left for Charlotte, North Carolina Friday morning. I visited a school my sister is looking at for college and I also got to see a couple friends from college so that was great! My friend Kelly Fillnow lives in the area and she just qualified for the Ironman World Championships for 2010. I got to run with her a couple times, eat amazing food (I LOVE DEAN AND DELUCA!!! :) ) and we also did a swim workout together. Fun times!

I can't wait to get back to Arizona and get into my routine again, ramp up my training, teach for a few days and then have a nice winter break from teaching!! I cannot wait to have a night where I get more than 8 hours of sleep! Every day lately I wake up feeling so tired and it definitely affects my motivation to train, which is obviously NOT good.

I have missed my little doggies these past couple weeks of not being around them for more than a few days. They are the loves of my life and I cannot wait to see them tonight, haha <3

They got groomed yesterday too so they are surely lookin' super handsome ;)

This somewhat blurry picture is from Vegas when I raced. I LOVE LOVE LOVE my new hot pink CEP compression socks. Sole Sports ordered them for me and that was my first race in them. I definitely believe they helped prevent my calves from cramping up because at one point I thought my left calf was about to seize up but it was fine! :)

Happy holidays everyone!

Running again!

2009-11-25T21:13:00.003-07:00

I am finally running again and I'm so happy!! I ran two miles yesterday and three miles today and I am feeling good. My long break and many weeks of swimming for multiple hours and lots of core and strength work has made me even more appreciative of running. I am still swimming 7 thousand yards every other day and on the days I don't swim I'm doing two hours of core and strength work. As my running gets ramped up, the swimming will decrease a little, but while running low mileage I love the cardio workout from swimming.

The weather here in Tempe is absolutely gorgeous right now. It's about 75 as a high each day and nice and sunny. The air feels crisp in the early or later hours of the day and it felt fantastic on my run this evening! I truly believe there is no better place to train in the winter than the Tempe/Phoenix area.

I have been substitute teaching a few days per week and I enjoy it a lot. I like being a little busy and having a routine or schedule most days of the week. It makes me feel so much more productive. My little doggies don't like it when I leave and I wish sometimes I could just take them with me! haha

Whenever I have free time I absolutely LOVE to bake new things and recently I made some homemade maple pecan sticky buns from a delicious recipe in my Bon Apetit cookbook. Four hours of mixing, kneading and waiting for dough to rise, they came out of the oven and the house smelled amaaaazing! :)- I have put a picture of them in this blog. Next up I want to make some pumpkin spice muffins.

I hope everyone has a fantastic Thanksgiving! If you are doing a Turkey day race, good luck and have fun!

Grateful :)

2009-11-19T15:53:00.000-07:00

Well this is my first post on my own personal blog. I am excited to share my training and racing stories and experiences on here. Right now I am swimming a lot in the pool and doing tons of core and strength work on the days I don't swim. I am doing 6 thousand yards of freestyle, pulling, drills, kicking, etc. and now that I am in the habit of swimming so much I am actually looking forward to it each day I go to the pool. The suit I have right now is disintegrating more and more by the day. At this rate I am going to be buying a new suit every three weeks! ha :)

I am so grateful of this life I live as a professional athlete each day. Sometimes the hard work seems to be endless and I feel the "pressure" from society to work a full time day job. However I absolutely love working hard toward fulfilling my dreams, having amazing opportunities to meet great people and travel all over the world racing. It makes me realize there really is no better "job" than what I do right now. I substitute teach on average at least once per week and have done a long term sub position, and every time I go teach I am even more grateful that I am able to make a decent living doing what I love the most- being an athlete! :)

I am extremely excited for the holiday season and closing out 2009 on a good note. I have had a super successful year of racing and ran personal bests in every race. I can already feel good vibes for 2010 and I know it's going to be incredibly successful on so many levels! :) The companies that continue to believe in me and sponsor me are truly what keep my spirits up on the hardest training days. Thank you to Sole Sports Running Zone, GU Energy and Endurance Rehabilitation!! You are the best :)